Concern Raised Over New EPA Rodenticide Standards

Monday, 21st November 2011

At a recent meeting of the Association of Structural Pest Control Regulatory Officials (ASPCRO), there were several hot topics to be discussed. One of the topics which raised concern among the professional pest management group was the new EPA standards for the use of rodenticides.

The EPA requirement, implemented in 2008 to take effect in summer of 2011, banned many consumer rodenticides and heavily restricted their use by pest management professionals.

A new “fifty-foot rule” has pest management professionals particularly concerned. The EPA now enforces a ban against using rodent control products more than fifty feet from a building. ASPCRO is concerned about such a limit, claiming it “handcuffs” pest control professionals from doing their jobs to the best of their ability. Steve Levy, a panelist at the ASPCRO discussion of the rule and president of Bell Laboratories, stated that, “Fifty feet is not enough to provide an effective control program in many cases,” claiming that food-based businesses often need a wider area of treatment in order to prevent health problems from occurring.

ASPCRO advocates for more flexible labeling on rodenticides packaged for professional use, in order to allow pest management professionals the latitude necessary to do the best and safest job possible.

-The Connor’s News Team

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