EPA Takes Action to Reduce Americans’ Risks from Mouse and Rat PoisonsWASHINGTON – To better protect children, pets and wildlife, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it is moving to ban the sale to residential consumers of the most toxic rat and mouse poisons, as well as most loose bait and pellet products. The agency is also requiring that all newly registered rat and mouse poisons marketed to retail consumers be enclosed in bait stations that render the pesticide inaccessible to children and pets. Wildlife that consume bait or poisoned rodents will also be protected by EPA’s actions.
"These changes are essential to reduce the thousands of accidental exposures of children that occur every year from rat and mouse control products and also to protect household pets," said Steve Owens, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. "Today’s action will help keep our children and pets safe from these poisons." Children are particularly at risk for exposure to rat and mouse poisons because the products are typically placed on floors, and because young children sometimes place bait pellets in their mouths. EPA has worked with a number of companies to research, develop and register new products that would be safer for children, pets and wildlife. There are now new products on the market with new bait delivery systems and less toxic baits. These products are safer to children, as well as pets and wildlife, but still provide effective rodent control for residential consumers.
In addition to requiring more-protective bait stations and prohibiting pellet formulations, EPA intends to ban the sale and distribution of rodenticide products containing brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difethialone and difenacoum directly to residential consumers because of their toxicity and the secondary poisoning hazards to wildlife. These rodenticides will still be available for use in residential settings, but only by professional pest control applicators. The compounds will also be allowed for use in agricultural settings; however, bait stations will be required for all outdoor, above-ground uses to minimize exposure to children, pets and wildlife.
Similar new regulations are expected to come into effect in Canada in the near future.
Bed Bugs Ground Jumbo Jet
British Airways has
taken
one
of
its
Boeing
747
jumbo
jets
out
of
service after a passenger complained she
was
bitten
by
bed
bugs
during
a
flight.
Business
executive
Zane
Selkirk,
28,
who
lives
in
California,
said
she
had
been
bitten
during
two
flights
recently,
from
Los
Angeles
to
London
on
January
28
and
Bangalore
to
London
on
February
5.
Selkirk
said
she
noticed
one
of
the
blood-sucking
creatures
on
the
seat
in
front
of
her
shortly
before
take-off
on
the
first
flight,
later
going
to
the
plane’s
toilet
to
find
five
or
six
"crawling
around
on
my
white
shirt".
Selkirk
said
that
on
her
return
journey
to
London,
she
became
very
itchy
after
departing
the
plane
and
discovered
she
was
covered
in
90
bed
bug
bites.
"Not only was the experience itself absolutely disgusting, but your staff (nearly without exception) were revolting to me personally throughout the ordeal," she wrote to British Airways. A British Airways spokesman said the aircraft involved had been taken out of service and treated before returning to service. “British Airways operates more than 250,000 flights every year, and reports of bed bugs onboard are extremely rare," he told London’s Telegraph. “Nevertheless, we are vigilant about the issue and continually monitor our aircraft. "Whenever any report of bed bugs is received, we launch a thorough investigation and, if appropriate, remove the aircraft from service and use specialist teams to treat it.”
Health Canada Announces New Rodent Poison Regulations
Health Canada is informing consumers, retailers and pest control operators of new measures to reduce the risks associated with the use of certain rodent control pesticides, also known as rodenticides.
The new measures are aimed at reducing the exposure of children, pets and non-target animals to rodenticides. Among the requirements:
- Rodenticides used by individual consumers or professional pest control operators in areas accessible to children and pets will have to be placed in a tamper-proof bait station.
- Rodenticides sold to individual consumers will have to be packaged together with a pre-baited, ready-to-use bait station.
- Certain rodenticides with high levels of toxicity and that take a long time to break down in the environment will be available only to professional pest control operators or farmers for limited use.
The changes follow new regulations introduced by the United States Pesticide Regulation Authority.
Manufacturers have until December 31, 2012 to have the new labeling and packaging in place. Until then, consumers should keep these safety tips in mind when using rodenticides they may have already purchased or that are still on store shelves:
- Read the label directions and safety precautions before using any rodenticide and use only as directed.
- Store rodenticides away from food and out of reach of children.
- Use gloves when handling rodenticides.
- When using rodenticides, place them in an area inaccessible to children, pets and non-targeted wildlife.
New information
on
fleas:
Fun,
Interesting
Facts
about
Fleas
Flea-Related
Diseases
and
Flea
Prevention
Tips
Man starts fire trying to kill bedbugs
Firefighters in MOUNT CARMEL, Ohio said a man attempting to kill bedbugs with rubbing alcohol while smoking a cigarette sparked a fire in his apartment. Union Township firefighters said they received a call about 5 p.m. Friday about a fire at a Mount Carmel apartment complex, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Monday. "The occupant was trying to self-exterminate bed bugs and was spraying the couch with rubbing alcohol while smoking a cigarette," Fire Chief Stan Deimling said. Deimling said the fire destroyed the man's couch and damaged the carpet. He was treated at University Hospital for burns to his hands.
Organic pesticides not always the most environmentally-friendly choice of pest
control
Two
new
synthetic
pesticides
for
controlling
aphids
were
found
to
be
less
harmful
to
other
species
and
more
efficient
than
the
two
new
organic
pesticides
tested
in
the
study.
It
is
often
thought
that
newer
organic
and
natural
pesticides
are
uniformly
safer
and
therefore
pose
less
risk
to
the
environment
than
older,
synthetic
(manmade)
chemicals
used
for
pest
control. This study compared the potential risk
of
using
six
insecticides
available
in
Canada
to
combat
the
soybean
aphid,
a
severe
pest
that
attacks
commercially
important
soybean
crops.
Two
currently
registered,
synthetic
insecticides
(cyhalothrin-λ
and
dimethoate)
were
used
as
controls,
and
two,
new
synthetic
insecticides
(spirotetramat
and
flonicamid)
and
two,
new
organic
insecticides
(mineral
oil
and
Beauveria
bassiana
(a
fungus
that
kills
the
aphids))
were
tested.
The
researchers
assessed
their
environmental
impact
in
terms
of
how
harmful
these
pesticides
are
to
non-target
organisms,
including
insects
that
naturally
control
aphids. Adults and larvae of the Harlequin
ladybird
Harmonia
axyridis
and
adults
of
the
flower
bug
Orius
insidious,
two
natural
enemies
of
soybean
aphids,
were
exposed
to
the
six
insecticides
in
the
laboratory.
The
two
current
synthetic
insecticides
were
generally
the
most
toxic
to
the
ladybird
and
flower
bugs
in
the
laboratory.
However,
the
two
organic
insecticides
were
more
toxic
than
the
two
new
synthetic
insecticides.
In
addition,
experiments
were
carried
out
in
four
soybean
fields.
The
overall
environmental
impact
of
each
pesticide
was
estimated
using
the
Environmental
Impact
Quotient
(EIQ),
which
allows
the
toxicity
of
each
pesticide
to
be
ranked
and
considers
the
impact
of
the
active
ingredients
in
the
pesticide
on a
number
of
organisms,
including
birds,
fish,
bees,
in
addition
to
other
factors
such
as
the
toxicity
to
beneficial
organisms,
such
as
the
ladybird
and
flower
bug. The conventional insecticide dimethoate
and
the
two
organic
insecticides,
mineral
oil
and
B.
bassiana
had
the
highest
environmental
impact.
The
impact
of
the
mineral
oil
insecticide,
for
example,
was
more
than
ten
times
greater
than
that
of
dimethoate
because
it
has
to
be
used
in
high
doses.
The
synthetic
insecticides
were
the
most
selective
-
even
the
least
selective
synthetic
insecticide,
dimethoate,
was
still
more
selective
than
the
organic
insecticides.
The
researchers
suggest
that
certain
organic
management
practices
are
not
necessarily
more
environmentally
sustainable
than
conventional
systems.
An
integrated
pest
management
approach
might
be
more
suitable,
as
such
a
system
is
flexible
enough
to
include
whichever
practices
have
the
smallest
environmental
impact.
Products
such
as
Rest
Easy
and
Bed
Bug
Bully
claim
to
be
highly
effective
at
controlling
the
insects,
but
researchers
say
there
aren't
yet
any
consumer
products
proven
to
keep
bedbugs
away.
As worry about bedbugs grows, it's no surprise that many people are taking pest control into their own hands. Do-it-yourselfers can choose from many different sprays that claim to kill the bugs and prevent infestations. Some products, like Rest Easy Bed Bug Spray, are sold as all-natural alternatives to traditional pesticides. Rest Easy, manufactured by the RMB Group, contains essential oils from cinnamon and lemon grass, among other ingredients. Bed Bug Bully, produced by a company called My Cleaning Products, claims to be 100% natural. The company website doesn't list any ingredients, but a sales manager claims that the spray ingredients include tea tree oil and lavender.
A 16-ounce spray bottle of Rest Easy — sold at many Walgreens, Ace Hardware and other stores — costs about $16. The company website instructs users to spray Rest Easy on "dressers drawers, closets, along baseboards, behind headboards, and around any other furniture you want treated." The site advises against spraying the bed directly. "If bed bugs are present in the bed," the site says, "call a professional for extermination."
A 32-ounce bottle of Bed Bug Bully, available at many drugstores, retails for about $50. A video tutorial on the company website encourages users to spray "wherever you think bedbugs may be."
The claims
The Rest Easy website says that its "optimized blend of natural ingredients has been universally recognized for thousands of years as a means for controlling insects." In a phone interview, company President Howard Brenner said, "We are all-natural and highly effective." He also said that people who have a serious and obvious infestation should call an exterminator. "Our product is for people who think they might have bedbugs or are paranoid that they might get them."
The Bed Bug Bully site says the product is "by far the best bed bug treatment you can get on the market today." It also promises "the same results delivered by pest service without evacuation."
The bottom line
Gail Getty, a research entomologist at UC Berkeley, says she'd love to see a day when people could quickly solve their bedbug problems on their own. "I want to encourage new research. It would be great if there was something that was safe and effective." Unfortunately, she says, no consumer products on the market today have been proved to completely remove bedbugs from the home. Because bedbugs are so adept at hiding, and because any bugs you can target with a spray are going to just be the tip of the infestation, it really takes a professional exterminator to get rid of the bugs, she says.
Jones, the Ohio State University entomologist, is especially leery of "all-natural" products. "If you think that using these sprays is going to get rid of your bedbugs, you are sorely mistaken." Jones points out that pesticide-free products such as Bed Bug Bully or Rest Easy aren't required by the Environmental Protection Agency to prove that they are actually effective against bugs — all that matters is that they are considered safe. Jones adds that even professional exterminators armed with industrial-strength chemicals generally need several hours to clean out an infestation. "If somebody goes in and out in 15 minutes, you just wasted your money."
Canada May Be Worst Country for
Bed
Bugs.
A
membership
survey conducted by the National Pest Management
Association
in
Fairfax,
Va. .found that 98
percent
of
the
association's
Canadian.
members
reported
treating
a
bedbug
infestation
in
the
last
year
Missy
Henriksen,
vice
president
of
public
affairs
for
the
association
said
95
percent
of
the
US.
members
had
dealt
with
bedbugs
in
the
past
year
and
in
Europe,
92
percent
had
dealt
with
an
infestation. In 2000, only 25 percent of members
had
dealt
with
bedbugs,
she
said. "The bedbug issue really is of pandemic
proportions.
It's
not
isolated
to
any
state
or
any
city
or
even
any
country.
Mouse virus may cause birth defects.
Lymphocytic
Choriomeningitis
Lymphocytic
choriomeningitis or LCM is a rodent borne viral disease which has received
recent attention due to several high profile cases. The virus is primarily
transmitted by the house mouse but there have also been cases of transmission
with pet rodents. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 5% of
house mouse populations are infected with the virus. NPMA is currently funded
some additional studies and surveys of house mice by Purdue University.
Infected rodents develop
no symptoms. Infection symptoms in humans can range from swelling of the brain
and or spinal column to no visible signs. Milder symptoms may include: fever,
muscle ache, headache, nausea, and vomiting. Other less frequent symptoms
include: sore throat, cough, joint pain, chest pain, testicular pain and parotid
or salivary gland pain. Mortality rates are less than 1% but it can be
particularly devastating for pregnant females who contract the disease
because of the potential for birth defects.
The disease is
transmitted similarly to Hanta virus. It is transmitted through contact with the
droppings, urine, nesting materials or saliva of infected rodents. The viral
particles may be inhaled or enter the body through open cuts or wounds. There
are no known cases of transmission from one person to another other.
How do we protect our
service personnel? The CDC recommends that the same procedures that are used for
Hanta virus protection be used for LCM protection.
Respiratory protection
with a HEPA filter should be worn when working in situations where air borne
particles might be inhaled. Gloves should be worn when servicing rodent traps,
stations or other points of contact with contaminated surfaces. All urine,
droppings and carcasses should be wetted with a bleach solution or other
disinfectant. Steps should be taken to avoid stirring up contaminated dust to
prevent inhalation of the dust. Dead mice should be sprayed with disinfectant
and double bagged for disposal. All technicians should wash with soap and water
after handling contaminated surfaces. Seek medical advice for pregnant service
personnel regarding any additional precautions or restrictions from their
physicians. For more information on LCM, visit the CDC site at:
www.cdc.gov
Are Little Brown Bats Endangered?
 Scientists and conservation groups, including
Bat Conservation International, are asking the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine
whether little brown bats – once the most common
bat species in the Northeastern United States –
need protection under the federal Endangered
Species Act. Scientists say White-nose Syndrome,
which has already killed more than a million
bats in the United States, could virtually wipe
out little brown bats in the Northeast within
the next two decades.
“The little brown bat is in imminent danger
of extinction in its northeastern core range due
to White-nose Syndrome, and the species is
likely in danger of extinction throughout North
America,” said Boston University biologist (and
BCI Science Advisor) Tom Kunz.
Because of the grave threat of this disease,
the scientists and conservation groups
recommended that the Fish and Wildlife Service
place the little brown bat on the Endangered
list as an emergency measure until the agency
can complete its own assessment and make a final
ruling. The disease, first documented in upstate
New York in 2006, already spread throughout the
eastern United States, as well as Quebec and
Ontario. It is now on the edge of the American
West. Mortality rates of nearly 100 percent have
been reported at some bat-hibernation sites
infected with the disease.
The continuing bat die-off already is causing
ecological and economic impacts. The
night-flying mammals play a critical role in
keeping insect populations in check. Kunz has
estimated that the WNS-caused loss of bats so
far means that approximately 700 fewer tons of
insects are consumed each year, including many
pests that attack farm crops and commercial
timber. Fewer bats will likely result in greater
use of pesticides.
Read more about bat conservation
|
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Health Canada Announces New Rodent Poison Regulations
