Environmental Group Beyond Pesticides and Pest Management Companies Join Forces

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Environmental Group Beyond Pesticides and Pest Management Companies Join Forces

Launch Effort to Offer Least Toxic Choices that Protect Children and Consumers

WASHINGTON, Mar. 20 -/E-Wire/-- With the arrival of Spring and warmer weather, the public inevitably turns its attention to insect problems, from termites and ants to lawn grubs, from household to garden pests.

The result, according to the national environmental group, Beyond Pesticides/National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides, is widespread and unnecessary toxic pesticide use. There are alternatives to poisoned schools and poisoned playgrounds, and the toxic load on the general public can be reduced, according to Beyond Pesticides.

To combat toxic pesticide use, a new free website resource is being launched today which will identify for consumers alternatives to hazardous material use. This new tool, called Safety Source for Pest Management, is a collaborative effort between Beyond Pesticides and pest management companies across the country. The Safety Source now includes nearly 100 companies in 28 states and the District of Columbia.

"Our goal is to put people concerned about the their health and the health of children and the environment in touch with companies that provide pest management services that will not poison their homes, workplaces, schools and communities," says Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides, based in Washington, D.C. "We are seeing increasingly informed consumers in the marketplace who are looking for these services. The good news is that there is a growing number of companies that have either totally or partially replaced highly toxic chemicals in their toolbox with safer alternatives," says Mr. Feldman. The group expects this resource to expand rapidly as businesses see the market opportunities associated with the alternatives to toxic chemicals.

The president of the Miami, Florida-based A SAFE Pest Eliminators, Jerry Goodman, said, "In my experience as a pest control provider, the least and non-toxic methods that I use work better and more thoroughly than any conventional method I've seen." Allen Cohen, president of Bio-Logical Pest Management in Washington, D.C. and board member of Beyond Pesticides, said, "You don't have to threaten children's health in the process of delivering effective pest management."

Beyond Pesticides launched this effort with a concern that many pest management companies describe themselves as ecological or say they practice Integrated Pest Management (an approach to pest management traditionally not reliant on pesticides, but focused on prevention, mechanical and biological methods) without defining their actual practices or products. Safety Source provides the user of the site with full information, based on a Beyond Pesticides survey questionnaire, on company philosophy and practices.

The site, organized by state and type of service, identifies each company's use of specific chemicals and materials, which are graded as either non-toxic, least toxic and toxic. While a company may utilize a number of toxic products, it must offer a minimum of one "least or non-toxic product" to be included. The site also offers tips to consumers on how to speak to pest management companies to get safer services.

While the conventional extermination industry tells the public that there is no safety differentiation among its ranks, Beyond Pesticides has identified many in the industry who are responding to consumer demand for the least toxic practices and products with clear definitions. Today, Beyond Pesticides is unveiling an effort that links environmentalists and public health advocates with these companies.

Numerous studies, including U.S. General Accounting Offices reports and the National Academy of Sciences, in its report Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children, have found that pesticides registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have not been fully evaluated for safety and that the standards of review do not adequately protect children and the general population. "Without adequate government regulation, we rely on consumer and business-driven changes in the marketplace to meet consumer safety concerns," says Mr. Feldman.

Jay Feldman and Kagan Owens

http://safetysource.tv

http://www.beyondpesticides.org

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