Let’s get real for a second. The job of a pest control service provider is to eliminate pests. This can mean two things: A) preventing the pest from entering the property or B) removing the pest once it has already entered. Of course, by ‘remove’, we often mean kill. There may be some folks that prefer we catch cockroaches and ants and relocate them to a sanctuary far beyond the reach of man, but most folks know better.
In recent years, there has been a push to eliminate proactive services and instead monitor potential activity, creating a more reactive service plan. There has also been a push to eliminate all forms of pesticides, unless said pesticides are found to be “least-toxic”. We applaud those efforts however the toxicity rating of a pesticide is but one of the issues surrounding this industry. There are three primary factors that one must address prior to distributing a pesticide. They are:
- Placement: Where is the pesticide going? Is it being distributed in an area where people will come in contact with it or is it being distributed in cracks, crevices or voids? Let us say, for instance that there are cockroaches moving into a tenant office space which are coming from an old, uncapped sewage line no longer in use. Many pest control technicians will opt to apply a pesticide around the desk of the tenant, attempting to solve the problem but never actually looking for the source of the pest issue. What if the technician found the source and applied a treatment within the pipe – a place where people will not come in contact with the distributed pesticide until long after the residual effects have passed? Or better yet, what if the technician applied treatment inside the pipe and then capped it, essentially stopping any additional activity from coming out? Would toxicity still be a primary factor in this instance?
- Toxicity: This is the issue most people believe they are attune to. “A least-toxic pesticide is a safe pesticide,” they will say. Let’s be blunt: just because a pesticide is least-toxic does not mean that it is safe. The pesticide may be considered least-toxic, but it is still toxic! Again, as pest control service providers, our job entails killing pests.
- Volatility: Perhaps the one most overlooked issue facing our industry. Read through the US Green Building’s guidebook and one will likely find a lot of information about volatility. However, cruise over to EQ Credit 3.9: Indoor Integrated Pest Management (page 483) and suddenly the focus is on toxicity. What happened to volatility? If a pest control technician applies a pesticide that produces an off-gas, then regardless of the toxicity rating, that off-gas will co-mingle with indoor air and be recycled throughout the environ. Humans will then breathe this polluted air.
Ask your self a question. Which is more safe?
- A volatile, least-toxic pesticide distributed around desks and baseboards or
- A non-volatile, highly-toxic pesticide distributed in an area where humankind will not come in contact with it
If you do not know the answer, you need to contact us. (281) 438 – 1500