WHY DO IPM? Self-Guided Module Introduction to IPM Lesson 2 of 4

Learning Objectives 2 1. Identify health, environmental, and economic risks of pests associated with buildings and grounds. 2. Identify health, environmental, and economic risks of pesticides associated with buildings and grounds.

3  Health risks  Environmental risks  Economic risks Pest-Related Risks

□ Exposure to some pest allergens can trigger asthma. Asthma sufferers may be sensitive to dust mites, cockroaches and/or rodent allergens. □ Cockroaches, filth flies and rodents can contaminate food which can cause food poisoning and upset stomachs. □ Rats bite more than 45,000 people annually in the US, most are infants, children and the sick. 13. Pest-Related Health Risks 4

5 □ Ticks are the primary cause of Lyme disease. □ Mosquito vectors can cause flu-like symptoms or more severe symptoms such as brain inflammation. The most common example is West Nile Virus. Pest-Related Health Risks

6 □ Stinging and venomous arthropods commonly occur in most environments. □ Between % of the US population are prone to developing an allergy and therefore a potentially deadly hypersensitivity reaction to bee, wasp, hornet or ant stings. □ Venomous arthropods include scorpions and spiders.

13. 7 Pest-Related Economic Risks

8 Pesticide Related Risks  Health risks  Environmental risks  Economic risks

Harmful Health Effects from Pesticides 9 Pesticide exposure may cause harmful effects classified as acute, chronic or delayed effects.  Acute effects more often result because of a single exposure. Effects develop within 24 hours.  Chronic effects occur after many low-dose exposures over time.  Delayed effects may develop more than 24 hours later, sometimes as a result of multiple exposures.

Acute Effects  Headache  Fatigue  Nausea  Diarrhea  Convulsions  Inability to breathe  Unconsciousness. 10

Chronic Effects  Birth defects  Tumor development  Genetic changes  Blood disorders  Nerve disorders  Reproductive effects  Developmental disorders 11

Delayed Effects 12  Memory loss  Tumors  Cancer

Children Are Particularly Vulnerable Children:  Process toxicants differently.  Pass through critical developmental stages.  Have a more rapid metabolic rate.  More hand to mouth behavior, greater contact with floors, walls, ground and other treated surfaces. 13

50% of lifetime pesticide exposure occurs in the first five years of life. Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children 14 The National Academy of Sciences 1993 Landmark Report estimates that

13.  In relation to body weight, infants and children eat and drink more than adults, increasing potential exposure to pesticides in food and water. Pesticide-Related Health Risks 15

13.  Certain behaviors, such as playing on floors or lawns or putting objects in mouths, increase a child's exposure to pesticides used in and around buildings and in the landscape. Pesticide-Related Health Risks 16

Pesticides can negatively affect:  Pollinators (insects that pollinate flowers and crops).  Beneficial arthropods (insects and spiders that play an important part in reducing pest species).  Non-target plants and animals. Pesticide-Related Environmental Risks 17

 Some pesticides persist in the environment for years or leak into streams, rivers, lakes and ground water.  Over-use of pesticides may lead to pests developing resistance to the products. When this happens the pesticide eventually becomes completely useless. Pesticide-Related Environmental Risks 18

 Can increase costs.  Similarly, emergency repairs due to lack of preventive maintenance commonly cost more Pesticide-Related Economic Risks

Many household products are pesticides. All of these common products are considered pesticides: Cockroach sprays and baits, mosquito repellent, rodent poisons, flea and tick collars, kitchen and bathroom disinfectants and sanitizers, products that kill mold and mildew, weed killers and even some swimming pool chemicals. Pesticide Safety 20

Are some pesticides safer than others?  The EPA Conventional Reduced Risk Pesticide Program accelerates the review and regulatory decision-making process for conventional pesticides that pose less risk to human health and the environment than existing conventional alternatives.  The goal is to quickly register commercially viable alternatives to riskier conventional pesticides. Pesticide Safety - Reduced Risk Pesticides 21

 Reduced risk pesticides have characteristics such as very low toxicity to humans and non- target organisms (including fish and birds), low risk of groundwater contamination or runoff, low potential for pesticide resistance and compatibility with IPM.  The “reduced-risk” designation applies only to certain uses of a particular pesticide and may not include all legal uses for that product. Pesticide Safety – Non-conventional Pesticides 22

 Minimum-risk pesticides are products that are exempt from EPA registration under Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and have no EPA registration number. These pesticides may only contain ingredients from a limited list generally recognized as safe.  Biopesticides are pesticides derived from natural materials such as animals, plants, bacteria and certain minerals. Biopesticides must be registered with EPA. Pesticide Safety 23

State Regulations Vary By States Some states require:  Physical posting of school areas treated with pesticides.  Parent notification regarding pesticide applications and allowable school pesticides.  States may mandate IPM education to be included in the student curriculum.  A school district IPM policy

School District IPM Policy School IPM policies may include:  Who can apply pesticides.  When and where they can be applied.  A list of allowable pesticide products.  Treated area posting details.  Pesticide application record keeping.  IPM coordinator contact information.  Establishing a registry of students and staff who are chemically sensitive.

Pest-Related Liability Risks  School boards risk litigation if the best and most current information is not used when making pest management decisions.  Schools have only one sensible choice, to practice IPM.

Check In! In this lesson you learned: 1. How to identify health, environmental, and economic risks of pests associated with buildings and grounds. 2. How to identify health, environmental, and economic risks of pesticides associated with buildings and grounds. Next you will learn who does IPM! 27

Resources  Cornell University. (2012). Pesticide Safety Education Program, Module 9. Retrieved from  Hollingsworth, C.S., Coli, W. M., Murray, K. D., & Ferro, D. N. (Eds.). (2002). Integrated Pest Management for Northeast Schools. Ithaca: Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service Cooperative Extension. Retrieved from  Maine Department of Agriculture, University of Maine Cooperative Extension. (2002). Outdoor Integrated Pest Management for Maine schools. Retrieved from  Michael C.R. Alavanja, Jane A. Hoppin and Freya Kamel. (2004). Health Effects of Chronic Pesticide Exposure: Cancer and Neurotoxicity*3 Annual Review of Public Health. Vol. 25: Retrieved from  United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2012). The Conventional Reduced Risk Pesticide Program, About Pesticides, Pesticide Product Labels, Reducing Pesticide Risk. Retrieved from  United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2012). Protecting Children’s Health, The National Pesticide Program. Retrieved from  Walter A. Alarcon, Geoffrey M. Calvert and Jerome M. Blondell. (2005). Acute Illness Associated with Pesticide Exposure at Schools. Journal of American Medical Association. Retrieved from