Safer Pest Control for Childcare Facilities Prepared by Safer Pest Control Project, a non-profit organization

Why Learn About Pest Control in Child Cares?  Pest & pesticides can endanger children’s health  Safer pest control (IPM) is required by law  IPM requires a new attitude & new skills

What is Integrated Pest Management? 1.Keep Pests Out 2.Remove Pests’ Food & Water 3.Remove Pest Harborage 4.Monitor for Pests 5.Create an IPM Plan & Keep Records 6.Treat Existing Pest Problems Routine Monthly Spraying is NOT Part of IPM

Problems with Pests  They’re gross!  Health Problems Spread Bacterial Diseases Contaminate Food Trigger Asthma LCMV – spread by mice. Causes meningitis and may harm pregnancies  Damage Property See chewed wiring at right

Problems with Pesticides – Children’s Health Acute Exposure:  Asthma Attacks  Flu-like Symptoms Long-Term Exposure:  Asthma  Cancer  Neurological damage  Immune System damage  Permanent chemical sensitivity

IPM in Childcare Law (Effective July 1, 2004) Licensed Childcare Centers Requirements:  STOP routine pesticide spraying  Adopt an Integrated Pest Management program  Notify parents, guardians, employees between 2 and 30 days before pesticide application  Never apply pesticides when children are present  Remove toys and other items handled by children before pesticides are applied  Children shall not return to the treated area within 2 hours of a pesticide application

#1. Keep Pests Out Doors & Windows Deliveries Let me know if your screens have holes. We will fill all holes like these… Cracks and Holes An open door is an invitation… to a pest problem.

#2. Remove Pests’ Food & Water Picture: University of Florida/IFAS Problems… Yuck! Solutions…

#3. Remove Pest Harborage Clutter Yes, that is a roach. Clutter provides lots of hiding spots AND covers up evidence of a growing problem. BeforeAfter

#4. Monitor for Pests  Report sighting in the pest sighting log  Don’t move monitor traps Roach poop. Let us know if you see it.

#5. Create an IPM Plan & Keep Proper Records Pest Name: COCKROACHES Pest problem type (check one) Health (X) Nuisance ( ) Safety ( ) Other: # sited/ Trappe d Recommended actions to be taken to control the problem First Actions or Inspection Habitat and Harborage Reduction Traps / Pesticide application*Follow-up 0Maintain courseNo pesticides whatsoeverCheck monitor traps monthly 1-5/ month Place more monitor traps to determine extent of problem Caulk/ seal around areas with sightings. Vinegar wash floor/baseboards. Check food storage and cleaning. More insect sticky traps.Check monitor stations weekly. Determine path inside the building 6-20/ month Blitz clean surrounding area. Locate hiding spots. Get rid of all cardboard and do a clutter buster day. Unload boxed deliveries. Ask parents to wash coats and backpacks. Consider use of containerized bait near areas of pest sightings. Check monitor stations weekly / Month Contact pest control professional for assistance. Clean to the corners and reduce all clutter. Consider going to cold food until problem is controlled. Consider using boric acid in wall voids, if roaches are living there (this requires notification). Check monitor stations, cleaning procedures. +100/ Month Use a professional. Clean, seal, reduce clutters. Stay on cold food until problem is solved. Request a vacuum clean out from a pest management professional. Check monitor stations daily. Replace as necessary. Sample IPM Plan for Roaches: Records We Will Keep: pest sighting logs; monitor traps logs; service reports; IPM Recommendations; MSDS; pesticides used w/ location and amount; copies of any notifications; IPM Policy; IPM Plans; etc.

 Don’t be surprised if the pest control company stops in your classroom. (They are doing their job by simply looking around. They should NOT be spraying.) #6. Treat Existing Pest Problems  No one is to have pesticides in the school  We will be using traps and bait if necessary

What Will You Do Differently?  Everyone gets a chance to speak…  Main office, administrative changes…  Any other ideas on what we can do to maintain a pesticide free facility?

Resources and References Safer Pest Control Project SPCP is a non-profit resource center available to answer questions. DCFS Gonzalo Ayoroa IL Department of Public Health Fred Riecks Your Local R&R Call INCCRRA for details (800) FOR MORE INFORMATIONREFERENCES (1) Carson, Rachel Silent Spring (2) American Association of Poison Control Centers; Toxic Exposure Surveillance System (TESS) (3) Salam, M. et al., “Early-Life Environmental Risk Factors for Asthma: Findings from the Children’s Health Study” Envrionmental Health Perspectives, 2004 (112): (4) [1] Eskenazi, B.; Bardman, A.; Castorina, R. “Exposures of children to organophosphate pesticides and their potential adverse health effects”. Environmental Health Perspectives. 1999; 107(S3): (5) CDC; ALA Trends in Asthma Morbidity and Mortality (6) Daniels, Julie L. et al. “Pesticides and Childhood Cancers,” Environmental Health Perspectives, 1997 (105): 1071 (7) Ma, Xiaomei, et al. “Critical Windows of Exposure to Household Pesticides and Risk of Childhood Leukemia” Environmental Health Perspectives, 2002 (110): 957 (8) Kato, Ikuko et al. “Pesticide Product Use and Risk of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in Women” Environmental Health Perspectives, 2004(112): 1275 (9) Environmental Protection Agency (10) [1]Beaumont, Peter, “Pesticide Residues Pose Different Risks to Children”, The Pesticides News, No. 21, Sept. 1993, The Pesticides Trust, London. Synthetic pesticides are ‘by definition’ poison; invented in the 1940s/50s for warfare–to kill people not bugs (1). Pesticides are a common source of poisoning in children (2). Exposure to pests in early childhood leads to double the risk of developing asthma by age 5; exposure to pesticides in early childhood can quadruple the risk of developing asthma by age 5 (3,4). Asthma has nearly doubled since 1980 (5). Pesticides are also linked with brain cancer, leukemia, lymphoma and soft tissue sarcoma as well as some neurological problems like cognitive delays and learning disabilities (6-8). Many pesticides registered with EPA were later pulled off the market because of safety concerns (9). Children are especially vulnerable to exposure because their bodies are still developing and may be under protected by pesticide safety laws (10)