Schools receive grants to limit pesticide exposure

Integrated pest management practices are shown to reduce pesticide use

Children are vulnerable to chemical exposures, experts say.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in March announced three grants to facilitate integrated pest management practices in schools.

This funding will help reduce student’s exposure to pests and pesticides in the nation’s schools, while saving money, energy and pesticide treatment costs.

“Children are among the most vulnerable members of our society, and it’s EPA’s job to protect them from harmful chemicals,” said James Jones, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.

“We aim to help schools implement sustainable pest management practices to create a healthier environment for our children and teachers.”

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) reduces pesticide use, helps to eliminate pests and saves schools money.

For example, 18 schools in Monroe County, Indiana have reduced both pesticide use and pest control costs by 90 percent using IPM practices.

This approach has the potential to reach all 15,000 school districts and improve the health and well-being of the 49 million children attending public and tribal schools in the United States.

IPM measures help prevent pests from becoming a threat by taking action to address the underlying causes that enable pests to thrive in schools.

These actions, such as repairing water leaks, adding weather stripping to windows, and installing door sweeps, reduce pesticide use and treatment costs while reducing water and energy costs.

The IPM common-sense approach is a stark contrast to conventional pest management in which an exterminator uses pesticides school-wide on a regular schedule, potentially exposing school children, teachers and staff to pesticides, with little emphasis on removing the underlying conditions that make it inviting to pests.

The three grants will be awarded to:

• TheTexas A&M Agrilife Extension to develop a central, internet-based hub for materials and phone apps that will give school districts the information and tools they need to adopt an IPM program. While the project aims to reach 1 percent of schools (552,350 students) within three years, it has the potential to reach all of the 15,000 school districts nation-wide and the 49 million children attending US public schools.
• The University of Arizona to develop and carry out a pilot training and certification program for school staff (custodians, kitchen staff, and school administrators) in eight states and four tribes, working with five other universities and stakeholders. Once finalized, the materials will be made available to schools nation-wide through partners.
• The Michigan State University to help 5 percent of Michigan and Indiana schools adopt IPM through hands-on education, training and coalition-building, including web-based trainings and a website. About 135,000 children may be protected.

Source: EPA

Poor indoor air quality in schools may affect students, teachers and staff alike. Provide healthier and better air in schools with an industrial-strength air purifier from Electrocorp. The air cleaners for schools and universities feature an effective activated carbon plus HEPA air filter combo, which can remove airborne chemicals, fumes, odors, particles, allergens, dust, bacteria, viruses and mold. Contact Electrocorp for more information and a free consultation.

Spring air cleaning in schools

The transition from winter to spring
can cause poor air quality in schools.

The winter months bring changes in weather conditions and building-occupant behaviors, and therefore changes to how school facilities are operated and maintained.

In addition, spring weather may bring heavy rain and possible flooding to certain parts of the country which can impact the indoor environment in schools.

It is particularly important to put in place proactive indoor air quality (IAQ) management practices to effectively manage the transition from winter to spring conditions.

Follow the tips below to help your school prepare for seasonal IAQ challenges.

Inspect and maintain ventilation systems 
During cooler weather, the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system may be working overtime. Good ventilation system design, operation and maintenance are critical to providing clean and healthy air in schools. Regularly inspect your ventilation system and establish a maintenance plan to provide adequate air ventilation, control odors and reduce the levels of pollutants that cause most IAQ problems inside school buildings. The Ventilation Checklist and Backgrounder offer in-depth guidance to schools for inspecting ventilation systems.

Control moisture levels to prevent mold
In many regions, the change in seasons brings a change in outdoor temperature and humidity and an increase in rain or flooding, which can lead to moisture problems and mold growth. Maintaining the relative humidity in school buildings between 30 and 60 percent will help control mold. In addition, prompt and effective remediation of moisture problems, including drying wet areas within 24 to 48 hours, is essential to prevent mold growth.

Proactively use Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Wintertime means more time spent indoors by students and staff, and the cooler weather can bring in unwanted pests who are seeking shelter from the cold. Pest populations can be eliminated, prevented or controlled by creating inhospitable environments for pests (removing basic elements that pests need for survival) and by blocking pest access into buildings. Follow the IPM checklist to help identify potential pest problems in schools buildings.

Involve everyone
In addition to the tips above, in order to maintain healthy indoor environments during this time of year and year-round, it is critical to ensure everyone plays a part. Open communication is a key component to securing buy-in from your school community members about the importance of proactive IAQ management and sustaining these plans long-term. The Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools: Communications Guide is a companion tool to the IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit that outlines the benefits of implementing an IAQ management program. It also includes case studies.

The IAQ Tools for Schools is designed to help schools maintain a healthy environment in school buildings by identifying, correcting and preventing IAQ problems. 

Source: EPA

Poor indoor air quality is a serious concern in schools, as it can affect children, teachers and staff equally. Children are susceptible to the airborne chemicals, odors, gases, particles, dust, allergens, bacteria, viruses and molds and poor IAQ has been shown to lower productivity, increase absenteeism, aggravate asthma and respiratory diseases and other health concerns.
For better quality air, schools need to implement the tips above and make sure that indoor air quality is improved. Electrocorp has designed mobile yet sturdy air cleaners for schools that can remove the widest range of airborne contaminants with their activated carbon + HEPA air filter system. Contact Electrocorp for more information.

Health Canada to review 23 pesticides

Ottawa agrees to review after pressure from environmental group

Environmentalists are declaring victory over an announcement by Ottawa that it will conduct a health review of 23 pesticides, including a weed killer found everywhere from wheat fields to suburban lawns.

But they point out the decision comes only after several lawsuits were filed last summer and suggest it shouldn’t take legal action to get the federal government to follow the law.

Many of the chemicals have already
been banned in Europe.

“It is a victory in that sense, that we’re getting them to do something they’ve never done before,” said Elaine MacDonald of the environmental law group Ecojustice. “But we shouldn’t have to sue them to get them to do it.”

Last August, four lawsuits were filed over 29 chemicals, all of which Ecojustice said were banned in Europe.

The federal government is obliged by law to review chemicals that are banned in any country belonging to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Health Canada had originally declined to do any studies. It said some of the chemicals had been recently examined and found to present acceptable risks.

The agency added that it wanted to consider reasons for the European bans before conducting studies on the others.

The Pest Management Regulatory Agency quietly reversed that decision in a website posting dated Dec. 30.

“The (agency) . . . has determined that this subsection’s criteria have been met, namely that a member country of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development prohibits all uses of this active ingredient for health or environmental reasons.”

Four of the six chemicals Canada won’t review were found to be still in limited European use — restricted to functions such as anti-flea dog collars. The final two are not used in Canada.

The pesticides that will be studied are found in 360 different products widely available for consumer and industrial use in Canada. They include 2,4-D — an active ingredient in 140 different products.

“2,4-D is one of the most common herbicides out there,” said MacDonald. “It’s in many household products. 2,4-D is what I would characterize as ubiquitous.”

Norway banned the chemical in 2000 over concerns about its links to cancer and its ability to migrate into groundwater.

Other common chemicals to be reviewed include:
Bromoxynil, found in 48 products and registered for use on cereal crops and vegetables.
Carbaryl, used in 39 pest-control products such as flea collars and ant powder.
Chlorthal-dimethyl, a possible carcinogen and herbicide most commonly used on weeds in vegetable operations.
Trifluralin, a popular herbicide on the Prairies that’s highly toxic to fish.
Trichlorfon, an insecticide approved for woodlots, Christmas tree plantations and cattle, which has been linked to human nerve damage.

In a Jan. 9 letter to Ecojustice, a federal lawyer points to the government’s review plans and asks the group to drop its lawsuit.

“In our view, the usefulness of that exercise is seriously undermined by the consultation document,” wrote Elizabeth Kikuchi.

Ecojustice lawyer Laura Tessoro said the court action has only been placed on hold and remains on the books.

“The agency doesn’t have a great track record of committing to doing special reviews under the act,” she said. “This is basically the first time it’s ever agreed to do them.

“In light of that, we need to keep the pressure on.”

Source: Toronto Star

Handling and storing pesticides or other chemicals may be dangerous to your health. Along with proper safety precautions, an industrial-strength air cleaner with an activated carbon wall and HEPA filters may successfully remove contaminants such as chemicals, allergens, particles and odors from the ambient air. Contact Electrocorp for more information.

Working near fields sprayed with pesticides increases risk of Parkinson’s disease, researchers say

Working near fields sprayed with
pesticides can be a health risk.

First they said living close to fields sprayed with two common pesticides could increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.

Now a follow-up study shows that working nearby increases the risk substantially, especially if exposure involves a combination of pesticides, and that the risk also includes a third commonly used pesticides.

The chemicals in question are the fungicide maneb and the herbicide paraquat as well as the pesticide ziram.


What are pesticides?

Chemical pesticides are often used on fields and grass to prevent or exterminate pests.

But while they may protect crops from insect or other infestation, many of these pesticides have been shown to be toxic to humans as well.

According to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, 10 of the 12 most dangerous and persistent organic chemicals are pesticides.

Pesticides and health: Side effects of pesticides

Exposure to pesticides can lead to immediate or delayed health effects, including irritation of the skin and eyes.

Some pesticides have also been linked to nervous system disorders, reproductive challenges and cancer.

Pesticide use can contaminate non-target species, air, water and soil and therefore expose people in many ways.


Working near pesticides

The new study looked at where people, including teachers, firefighters and clerks who worked near, but not in, the fields.

The study showed that the combined exposure to ziram, maneb and paraquat near any workplace increased the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) threefold, while combined exposure to ziram and paraquat alone was associated with an 80 percent increase in risk.

"Our estimates of risk for ambient exposure in the workplaces were actually greater than for exposure at residences," said Dr. Beate Ritz, senior author and a professor of epidemiology at the UCLA School of Public Health.

"And, of course, people who both live and work near these fields experience the greatest PD risk. These workplace results give us independent confirmation of our earlier work that focused only on residences, and of the damage these chemicals are doing."

In addition, Ritz noted, this is the first study that provides strong evidence in humans that the combination of the three chemicals confers a greater risk of Parkinson's than exposure to the individual chemicals alone.

Because these pesticides affect different mechanisms leading to cell death, they may act together to increase the risk of developing the disorder: Those exposed to all three experienced the greatest increase in risk.

The study has been published in the online edition of the European Journal of Epidemiology.

Source: Science Daily
  

Provide cleaner air in the workplace

Electrocorp cleans the air in all types of industrial and commercial applications, including offices and manufacturing plants.

All of our air filtration systems feature a large amount of activated carbon to filter out airborne chemicals, gases, fumes and odors as well as superior particle filters to protect employees from particles, mold spores and dust.

Contact one of our air quality experts to find the right solution for your workplace.
 

The damaging effects of mold in libraries and archives

Valuable books and collections
can be destroyed by mold.

Mold is a serious issue for people as well as for materials and documents – as the archives staff at Emporia State University in Kansas recently found out.

In a detailed three-part series, The Bulletin’s editor in chief Kelsey Ryan explained how employees at ESU’s archives have struggled with this serious indoor air quality concern.

The Anderson Library building, which houses a portion of Emporia State’s historical archives and historical collections, has a major mold problem. The university’s archivist first discovered active mold bloom in September 2009 and subsequently found mold on more than 300 records, papers, photographs and books in the rare collections.

The Anderson building stores the majority of ESU’s archives, including over a hundred years’ worth of historical photographs, academic journals, archived issues of The Bulletin and bound issues of The Sunflower, ESU’s yearbook.

Some of these documents are in jeopardy because of alleged moisture and humidity problems in the building due to roof leaks, inadequate HVAC, high humidity levels and poor building maintenance.

The personnel have been asked to take care of the problem in-house, even though a better and quicker option would be to outsource the job to mold remediation professionals.

Mold can create health problems

The archive employees were hesitant to give details, but they spoke in general terms about their worries regarding their health.

Mold can affect human health, depending on the type of mold and exposure. According to EPA, all molds have the potential to cause health effects because they produce allergens, irritants and in some cases toxins.

Building occupants may begin to report odors and a variety of health problems, such as headaches, breathing difficulties, skin irritation, allergic reactions, and aggravation of asthma symptoms; all of these symptoms could potentially be associated with mold exposure.

There are no regulatory guidelines or regulatory issues on mold at this point by Environmental Protection Agency or Occupational Safety and Health Administration, according to the director of the university facilities, but the workers were given personal protective equipment if they wanted it.

A lengthy process

In order to properly clean the documents and get the mold spores off of them, items that have mold on them must be separated from others and dried out. Once the mold is flakey, it can be vacuumed using a HEPA filter vacuum cleaner.

The archives staff keeps a clean room within William Allen White Library where they clean documents before they are stored into compact shelving.

The university has considered selling the building, but finding a buyer may be difficult since the building requires extensive renovations and maintenance. This, even though the university spent $250,000 to fix Anderson Library in the last six years, on things like the new heating system, roofs, gutters, pointing, maintaining and dehumidifiers.

The building has been plagued by mold, water intrusion and mice.

Source: Emporia Gazette

Manage mold problems with air cleaners

Source control and remediation is important when it comes to mold problems. But for a complete mold solution, to avoid health and safety complaints and enhance the protection of valuable documents and materials threatened by mold, the indoor air quality of the building needs to be improved and protected.

Electrocorp has designed air filtration systems for

• Libraries and archives
• Facility management
• Mold and asbestos remediation

Contact us for more information.

Related posts:

• Prevent and control mold growth in commercial settings
• The mold factor - mold issues, health effects and cleanup
• Indoor air concerns in the healthcare industry
• Poor IAQ linked to half of illnesses worldwide

Bed bugs: Cleaning up after the cleanup

Firm fined, ordered to clean up homes it treated with hazardous chemicals to combat bed bugs

Sometimes, doing wrong comes back to bite you.
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on Jan. 31 fined a pest control company $860,000 for using hazardous pesticides to combat bed bugs in residential homes.
TVF Pest Control used dangerous chemicals in at least 50 homes in the first half of 2010, according to the report in The Jersey Journal.

Pesticides not approved for indoor use
The DEP investigation found that the company used Malathion and Carbaryl in the homes, even though the two pesticides have not been approved for indoor use. They can be absorbed through the skin and cause symptoms such as headaches, nausea and dizziness, muscle twitching and vomiting.

Exposure has been linked to chronic health effects
Pesticides are among the most widely used chemicals in the world, and also among the most dangerous to human health, as said by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Exposure to pesticides can lead to chronic health effects. In this case, the firm used two widely used insecticides that are deployed in agriculture and residential landscaping. They should not have been used indoors, and it’s sad to think that the residents of these 50 homes were exposed to them in the first place.

Health organizations warn against using pesticides to treat bed bugs
The US Environmental Protection Agency recently released a stark warning against using pesticides to treat bed bugs, saying it is dangerous for humans and doesn't solve the problem.

Companies that use any kinds of chemicals inside of buildings have to make sure that the air is clean and not laced with dangerous contaminants. Industrial-strength air purifiers from Electrocorp have been used successfully by contractors in various applications.

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