The Ohio Department of Agriculture has asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for an emergency exemption to allow the use of the pesticide Propoxur in residences; more than a dozen additional states are supporting this request, The Columbus Dispatch reports.

The pesticide is currently in use for crops, on flea/tick collars, and in commercial applications.  This would simply be an emergency extension of its use inside residences.

Why Propoxur?

As Doug Caruso reports for The Columbus Dispatch,

In tests at the University of Kentucky, the chemical killed 100 percent of the bedbugs exposed to it within 24 hours and kept on killing after eggs hatched, Beal said. That compared with a 16 percent kill rate after 72 hours for a commonly used household insecticide against one strain found in Cincinnati, and 40 percent in another strain.

Make no mistake: while safety to humans and pets is an important factor when decisions are made about which pesticides are legal for which use, political and financial interests do factor heavily.  The Columbus Dispatch notes,

Introduced in 1959, Propoxur was removed from home use in the 1990s under a law that sought to reduce people’s exposure to insecticides. When manufacturers decided which uses to allow, [Matt Beal, assistant chief at the Ohio Department of Agriculture] said, they kept the chemical for application to crops and commercial buildings because they sold more of it for those purposes.

[Emphasis mine.]

It will be interesting to see if the exemption is granted, and whether this helps us in our battle against the red menace.

Update (11/12):

Is it just me or is the New York Times trying to put a spin on this issue with their headline,

“Ohio Wants to Use Industrial Poison on Bedbugs at Home.”

[Emphasis mine.]

Eek! Industrial poison! Oh no!

(Meanwhile, the people with bed bugs are saying, “yes, please!”)
Similar Posts:

• How to spread bed bugs, in three easy steps!
• Take a Seat project: a really bad idea where bed bugs are concerned
• Colleges react to bed bugs: Loyola (Chicago), Boston University, Brigham Young (Hawaii)
• Bed bugs on Today with Meredith Viera and Janice Lieberman, today
• Patrons claim they are being bitten by mysterious bug at upscale Chicago restaurant

Renee of New York vs. Bed Bugs helpfully directs us to the materials which came out of the workgroups at the EPA National Bed Bug Summit:

The Environmental Protection Agency Office of Pesticide Programs has posted the summary workgroup results and recommendations from the National Bed Bug Summit.

[Click to download] the available materials so far:

* Final Agenda (PDF)

* a public docket

* Summary of Workgroup Results (PDF)

* Summary of Recommendations Developed at the Summit (PDF)

[And soon, hopefully, a Webinar!]

I know you’ll want to read those materials, and the rest of the relevant post from  New York vs. Bed Bugs: EPA makes available National Bed Bug Summit summary recommendations.Similar Posts:

None Found

We look forward to hearing more about what happened in Arlington, Virginia these last two days, at the EPA National Bed Bug Summit.

This video from the Associated Press has some nice snippets from Dini Miller, Harold Harlan, and others, speaking at the conference.

Pete Grasso of the PMP blog liveblogged the bed bug summit.

Here are some tidbits from Grasso’s blog:

Tom Neltner, from the National Center for Healthy Housing said (4th update, 10 am):

“People who are the least able to afford extermination are at the highest risk for poor health outcomes as a result,” Neltner said. “This is a good time for Federal agencies to take a leadership role on this issue.”

Of Michael Potter, University of Kentucky entomologist (6th update, 10:37 am), Grasso says:

He questioned why bed bugs are not considered a public health concern, because they once were.

You know a few years back, I started the first unofficial Dr. Michael Potter fan club, don’t you?

I know you’ll want to read the rest of Pete Grasso’s account, which begins here. He also talks about the breakout brainstorming sessions here. Perhaps most exciting, the list of recommendations the brainstorming produced, which is in part three, here.

Many thanks to Pete Grasso of PMP for blogging the summit!

The popular media was going crazy the last few days, but most articles were just reprints of one from the Associated Press. Here’s the Today Show, which showed footage of Connor’s Pest in Virginia doing a thermal treatment and searching with a bed bug sniffing dog.

I am so glad this event happened, and I so wish I could have been there. (My job kept me away.)

Were you there? Tell us all about it, please!Similar Posts:

• WNYC on the EPA National Bed Bug Summit, which starts tomorrow
• 18-story Dayton apartment building infested with bed bugs to be treated with Vikane gas
• Bed bugs bite in Edmonton sleep disorder clinic
• Bed bugs — and bed bug legislation — in the news
• Room for Debate on bed bugs: a must-read!

WNYC reports on the EPA National Bed Bug Summit which is happening tomorrow and Wednesday in Arlington, Va.

WNYC’s Fred Mogul interviewed New York City Assistant Health Commissioner Dan Kass:

KASS: There are folks who have done a tremendous amount of study, about the kinds of products and practices that work well, there are other jurisdictions that may have some ideas about how to encourage property owners to act quickly. We’d like to hear some of those.

Kass says he wants to see what regulations other states have to police over-the-counter pesticides – many of which he says are dangerous and ineffective.

The city health department for years said bedbugs were not a public health problem, because they are a nuisance but do not transmit disease. Kass says his agency now is committed to assessing the problem thoroughly and helping property-owners, tenants and exterminators work together more effectively.

See: WNYC – News – Conference to Address Bedbugs.

I’m really glad Dan Kass is enthusiastic about the EPA Summit.

We really need housing and health officials to learn as much as they can from entomologists who study bed bugs, and can speak to various issues around their control and spread.

We also need public officials to share their experiences and learn from the experiences — both good and bad — of their counterparts in other locations.

You can get all the information on the EPA Summit from this post at New York vs. Bed Bugs.

I look forward to hearing about the EPA National Bed Bug Summit, which I unfortunately cannot attend due to work commitments. Perhaps some of our regulars would report back to us about the event.Similar Posts:

• Soundbites from the EPA National Bed Bug Summit

Renee of New York vs. Bed Bugs has more details on the upcoming EPA National Bed Bug Summit (April 14-15) in Arlington, VA):

Sharon Heath of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will speak at EPA’s National Bed Bug Summit on April 14. It’s a portion of the session titled “How Public Health Agencies View Bed Bug Infestations,” with Mike Herring from CDC, Dr. Camille Jones from the Cincinnati Health Department and Sarah Norman from Baltimore City Health Department.

and…

EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs has made the meeting agenda (PDF) available. Topics include bed bug basics, impact on public and private housing, control methods and challenges and the government response to bed bugs.

For the details, and the links to the agenda and details on the webinar broadcast, see NYC Department of Health at National Bed Bug Summit (plus agenda and webinar details).Similar Posts:

None Found

We’ve previously mentioned the upcoming EPA bed bug summit on April 14-15 and the upcoming Washington DC bed bug summit on March 27.

We now refer you to New York vs. Bed Bugs, where Renee has compiled all the details and links on the EPA National Bed Bug Summit (4/14-4/15) and Stop Bed Bugs DC (3/27); RSVP is strongly recommended for the April event and required for the March event, so please do follow those links for more information on that.

I encourage you to participate in person or virtually (in the case of the EPA Bed Bugs Summit, where teleconferencing / webinar options are said to be in the offing).

Also, on Friday, I received a message from Gale Brewer about the signing of Intro. 57a, the Bed Bug Advisory Board bill, which will take place tomorrow (3/18) and is open to the public:

Dear New Yorker:

Thank you for your advocacy on the creation of a bed bug task force.

Because I share that goal, I introduced Intro 57-2006 which prohibits
the sale of reconditioned mattresses and calls for the formation of a
bed bug task force. On Wednesday, March 11, 2009, the Council
unanimously approved the Int 57-2006 at the full Stated Council meeting.

The bill will be signed into law by the Mayor on Wednesday, March 18,
2009 at 3:30pm in the Blue Room, in City Hall. All bill signings are
public hearings and all members of the public are invited to attend.

There will also be the opportunity to offer short comments.

Sincerely,

Gale A. Brewer

City Council, District 6:
Manhattan

Many of you may wish to attend and show your appreciation; we will all be there in spirit, I am sure.

Two other recent links of note from New York vs. Bed Bugs:

First, Renee examines the fact that the New York City Housing Authority is drastically under-responding to bed bug complaints in public housing in NYC. They just can’t keep up. And you know what that means, right? More bed bugs for everyone.

Also, Renee shares a notable letter from August 2008, in which Department of Veterans Affairs Under Secretary for Health, Dr. Michael J. Kussman outlines the best practices for dealing with bed bugs in VA facilities.

Prompted by this, Renee asks whether some centralized agency might collect and disseminate such resources, rather than every single agency and institution, large or small — in every city, county, state or nation — having to reinvent the wheel.

Excellent question.

Reinventing the wheel is the name of the game when it comes to disseminating bed bug information, isn’t it? How many universities have their own bed bug fact sheet — some of them quite outdated, making recommendations no longer commonly offered by experts?

What would the humble bed bug fact sheet look like at its very best, compiled by a committee of the most reputable bed bug specialists, with access to the latest research and a keen awareness of how bed bugs act in the field? There are some like this, but in their presence, why do the others still exist?

Why do we so rarely get that information at its best?Similar Posts:

None Found

According to the Washington City Paper’s City Desk:

The summit is skedded for March 27 from 10:00 am to 3 pm at 441 4th Street NW, Room 1107. Get ready for a “dialogue on creative and effective approaches to dealing with bedbugs.”

That’s in addition to the even bigger EPA National Bed Bug Summit in Washington D.C. Arlington, Viginia on April 14 and 15.

Go to New York vs. Bed Bugs for all the details on the new venue in Arlington, announced March 31st.

The EPA conference will be webcast, we’re told.

Could it be Gil Scott-Heron was wrong, and the revolution will indeed be televised?

Similar Posts:

None Found

Renee Corea of New York vs. Bed bugs broke the news today that the EPA is holding a meeting on bed bugs on April 14th.

Renee writes:

We have just received information, from our one and only contact at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), that EPA is set to hold a public meeting on bed bugs on April 14 in Washington, DC.

We think this is a watershed event. The public health interest is clear and can no longer be ignored. No more dithering about bed bugs and their public health importance. This attention is utterly warranted and, in fact, overdue.

It’s really wonderful to see this happening.

I know you’ll want to follow up by reading the rest of the post over at New York vs. Bed Bugs.

And, New York City folks, you surely already know our big day is tomorrow (Tues. 2/24/2009), when the City Council is holding a public hearing on three bed bug bills.

If you can come, it starts at 1 pm at City Hall, directions here; if you are able to testify for 2 minutes, you can sign up on the spot.

If you can’t testify, just come out and support those who will be speaking. The more of us that show up, the better, because it makes a strong statement about how much New York City citizens and voters care about solving the bed bug problem in New York City.

More details, on the hearing tomorrow and on the bills under consideration, from New York vs. Bed Bugs.Similar Posts:

None Found