Summary of BPC Meeting (17 Dec 2004) on Integrated Pest Management in Public Buildings

Several people representing environmental organizations or the general public appeared at the Board of Pesticide Control's (BPC) December 17th public information gathering session. Amanda Sears, of the Environmental Health Strategy Center, recommended increasing the 24-hour reentry period required for pesticides that do not have a reentry period specified on the label. Ruth Gabey, representing the Maine Green Independent Party, encouraged the Board to restrict indoor pesticide use as much as possible due to the difficulty of determining the effects of active and inert ingredients on human health. Sharon Tisher, representing MOFGA, referred the Board to the IPM policy adopted by Acadia Hospital, which has received national attention. She supported the inclusion of "emergency exemptions" for high-urgency pest situations to help alleviate the concerns of the pest control industry and its many customers. A private citizen, Sarah Rockwell, brought attention to the needs of low-income urban housing, pointing out that it is important that notification requirements ensure that people who are illiterate in the English language (whether due to foreign background or lack of education) understand that pesticides are to be applied. She also recommended that the potential health risks of the specific pesticide used be included in the notification. Jody Spear, an art-history editor and pesticide-reform advocate who lives in Harborside, advocated at length for the preservation and strengthening of the notification requirements, emphasizing the dangers of pesticides for people in hospitals and nursing homes, as well as the threats to folks with chemical sensitivities.

The Board is accepting written comments until January 21st. They request that submissions include SPECIFIC recommendations for changing the first draft of the rule so that it both protects the public and is acceptable to and appropriate for the wide variety of public places to which it will be applied. More information, including a copy of the first draft of the rule, may be found at http://www.state.me.us/agriculture/pesticides/laws/rulemaking.htm. A summary of industry objections to the rule may be found in the BPC news updates of past issues of the MOF&G (some of which are available online).

--submitted by Alice Torbert