and, obviously, i don't like mosquitoes biting my kids or my dogs. >> reporter: but de mier says the more she considered it, she felt the science was too new and not enough was known for her to feel comfortable with g.m. mosquitoes in her community, despite oxitec's safety assurances. de mier started an online petition against the mosquito trial that's gathered 150,000 signatures from around the world. >> i do not want my kids to be laboratory rats. i don't want my kids to be guinea pigs. why? because this is a brand new technology. you get these mosquitoes you release once and for all, and then let's experiment to see what happens. >> reporter: university of florida professor phil lounibos has studied mosquitoes and the diseases they carry for over 40 years. he's not involved with the proposed g.m. experiment in the keys. >> we believe, those of us who have worked with mosquitoes, that the probability of something going wrong is not very high. >> reporter: lounibos is convinced the trial would be safe, but he questions its effectiveness. he says other mosquito species can carry deng