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The
Safe Use of Pesticides Keeps Pests from Becoming a Problem in Schools
Pests
pose serious risks to children's health in schools. At the same
time, using pesticides in schools to control pests can be challenging
because of heightened concerns and misinformation. However, it's
important to remember pesticides can be used safely and responsibly
to control pests such as insects, rodents and weeds as part of a
balanced program called integrated pest management.
Cockroaches,
ants, wasps, head lice and rats - the pests most commonly found
in schools - do more than disrupt the learning environment. They
pose increasing health and safety risks to children. Children, just
by nature of their size, are more vulnerable to vector-borne diseases
(carried by insects) because their immune systems are still developing.
Consider some of the problems with pests in the school environment:
- Cockroaches
can live and breed by the thousands in classrooms and cafeterias.
They carry germs from filthy surfaces to cafeteria tables and
classroom desks. Cockroaches are the leading cause of asthma incidents
in urban youth. The more children are exposed to cockroaches the
more allergic they become.
- Mosquitoes
carry deadly diseases. Seven people were killed in New York during
the summer of 1999 after being bitten by mosquitoes that carried
the West Nile virus. Also, two 11-year-old boys contracted malaria
from mosquitoes while attending a summer Boy Scout camp on Long
Island.
- Rats
and mice are often found living in and under school buildings.
Rodents contaminate stored food with their droppings and urine
and spread the deadly hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, an infectious
disease linked to more than 27 recent deaths in the United States.
- Fire
ants build their nests on school grounds. These nests often contain
more than 100,000 ants. During recess and physical education classes,
children are often stung when they step into nests while playing.
Fire ants can inflict hundreds of painful stings to children.
More than 80 people have died from fire ant attacks out-of-doors
and 10 have died from serious attacks indoors.
- More
than half the U.S. population, including children, is allergic
to poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac that cause severe skin
irritation, intense itching and burning as well as blistering.
A Wisconsin school district banned the use of herbicides to control
poison ivy and other weeds. However, the decision was reversed
when a student had to undergo a 22-day course of steroids to treat
a poison ivy rash. Other weeds such as crabgrass and dandelions
can cause injury when children trip over them on playgrounds and
sports fields.
These
problems caused by pests warrant that schools implement a pest management
program. Many are turning to integrated pest management or IPM.
IPM
defined
Integrated pest management can improve the efficiency and effectiveness
of a school's pest control program and can reduce pesticide costs.
While IPM includes the judicious use of appropriate pesticides,
it also implies that pesticides will be used only if necessary.
Each
situation is carefully monitored, allowing the use of the most appropriate
approach to effectively control the pest, including the use of a
pesticide when needed. This specific, targeted approach results
in an effective pest control program, one that assures the correct
amount of pesticide is applied and enhances the safety and well-being
of students, faculty and staff.
How
IPM Works
There are three steps in integrated pest management:
1.
Identify and monitor the pests.
IPM begins by identifying pests in and around school property
and monitoring the level of infestation. Accurate pest identification
is critical. Each pest has a life cycle and certain environmental
needs. Proper identification and monitoring makes it easy to select
the most appropriate, cost effective control available. It's important
to know when pests invade a school and where they are located.
Often, sticky traps are used for monitoring pest populations.
The traps show what type and how many pests are present.
2. Determine an action threshold.
A school or school district should determine an "action threshold."
This is the level of pest infestation and activity that can be
tolerated. The action threshold for each pest is determined by
the potential severity of the damage caused by the pest, site
characteristics, health concerns related to the pest and site
user needs. Each school or district may have different action
thresholds.
3.
Take preventative or curative actions.
Accurate pest identification and awareness of the action threshold
gives a school's pest management team the information needed to
take action. IPM encourages the use of several pest control methods,
allowing each school or district to create the best, safest pest
control program. Among the IPM pest control tools available are:
sanitation; structural repair and maintenance; watering and mowing
practices; pest resistant plant varieties; and judicious use of
pesticides.
Communication
is key
To be effective, a pest management team has to establish clear lines
of communication and designated roles of responsibility. Often,
the school board sets the overall pest management policy, provides
funding and monitors the results. It's important that the school
board understands what IPM is.
Sometimes
school boards may be pressured to completely eliminate the use of
pesticides. They may try this approach only to discover the judicious
use of pesticides is needed to economically and effectively control
pest populations found in and around schools and protect the health
of children. Extensive research and solid science show
pesticides
pose little or no risk to the health of children or adults when
used according to label instructions.
Establishing
a Program
In addition to effective communications, an IPM program must include
a written policy and a knowledgeable coordinator. A written policy
is essential. IPM is doomed to fail without broad understanding
and commitment by all stakeholders including faculty, staff, board
members and parents. A written policy helps to gain consensus and
provides continuity.
Once
a policy is in place, a staff person should coordinate the overall
program. Whether the entire program is implemented internally or
the majority of services are contracted out to a pest control professional,
it is critical to have a knowledgeable person on staff.
Success of IPM in schools is also dependent upon full cooperation
of administrators, faculty, maintenance/custodial staff, parents
and students.
Treatment
Options
Once an IPM program is in place, it's important to choose the right
treatment options to control pests. Here are a few to consider:
Education
Information that will help change student and staff behaviors -
particularly how they dispose of wastes and store foods - play an
invaluable role in managing pests like cockroaches, ants, flies,
yellowjackets and rodents. Education is a cost-effective pest management
strategy.
Spot
treatments
Pesticide treatments should be applied when and where needed. It
isn't always necessary to treat an entire building or landscape
area to solve a pest problem. By monitoring to pinpoint where pest
numbers are beginning to reach an action level and confining treatments
to those areas, costs and exposure can be kept to a minimum. Examples
of spot treatments include baits that are applied to pest harborages
or contained in childproof bait stations, dusts that are applied
to space behind walls or in attics or crack and crevice injections
that target the pests where they live.
Habitat
modification
Pests need food, water and shelter to survive. If the pest manager
can eliminate or reduce even one of these requirements, the environment
will support fewer pests.
Design
or redesign of structure
Design changes can incorporate pest-resistant structural materials,
fixtures and furnishings. These changes sometimes can entirely eliminate
pest habitat. For example, buildings designed without exterior horizontal
ledges will reduce pigeon problems. Inside, industrial stainless
steel wire shelving mounted on rolling casters, rather than built-in
shelves, helps reduce roach habitat and facilitates cleanup of spilled
food.
Sanitation
Improved sanitation practices, such as removing trash on a regular
basis, can reduce or eliminate food for pests.
Eliminating
Pest Habitat
How this can be done, varies depending upon the pest. Some examples
include caulking cracks and crevices to eliminate cockroach and
flea harborage, removing clutter that provides roach habitat and
removing dense vegetation near buildings to eliminate rodent harborage.
Modification
of Horticultural Activities
Planting techniques, irrigation, fertilization, pruning and mowing
can all affect how well plants grow. Many problems encountered in
school landscapes are attributable to using the wrong plants and/or
failing to give them proper care. Healthy plants are often likely
to have fewer insects, mites or diseases. It's very important the
person responsible for school landscaping has the knowledge needed
to do the job with pest management in mind.
Resources
For more information about pests and IPM, consider these resources:
- Pest
Facts Information Center ( www.pestfacts.org
) - visit this web site sponsored by RISE (Responsible Industry
for a Sound Environment) for information about children's health
in schools, IPM and the risks posed by pests.
By
implementing a school IPM program that includes the judicious use
of pesticides, school administrators and facilitators can be sure
students won't be sharing classrooms, cafeterias and playgrounds
with insects, rodents and weeds that pose serious health and safety
risks.
............
Source
Allen James, president
RISE (Responsible Inudstry for a Sound Environment)
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