Choosing a Safe Pest Control Product
Many pest control products on the market today are synthetic toxins, poisons or carcinogens that use leftover nerve gas technology from World War II.
These products affect the nervous system of pests.
They are comprised of ingredients that can also affect humans, animals and the environment.
Therefore, it makes sense that these substances would need strict government regulation in order to protect the public.
That is the job of the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA.
However, not all pest control products are created equally.
There is a whole other category of pest control products that are EPA 'exempt' and do not need to be registered as they are determined to be safe and require no registration.
So who determines what is considered safe? The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) was passed in order to provide guidelines and safety controls for products available for public use.
In 1996, the EPA released what is referred to as List 25(b) which was part of FIFRA and it has 30 ingredients that are all naturally occurring substances.
They ingredients are identified by the EPA "to be of a character which is unnecessary to be subject to this Act".
In other words, these ingredients pose no threat to public safety and are exempt from the strict safety regulations that affect other, synthetic chemical pesticides.
The EPA controls this list - they have done the exhaustive research to determine what is 'safe'enough to be included.
So if a pest control product has an active ingredient found on List 25(b), the EPA's stance is that the product is 'demonstrably safe for the intended use'.
No need to test it further, no need to protect the public from it, no need for concern.
A pest control product with an 'exempt' active ingredient has already been proven to be safe.
The ingredients included in List 25(b) are a compilation of natural, green pest control options.
Items like cedar oil, cinnamon oil, citronella oil, peppermint oil and geranium oil pepper the list of only 30 ingredients that all come from Nature herself - not crazy man-made chemicals with names you cannot pronounce.
At one end of the spectrum are synthetic chemicals that in order to be available for public use require EPA registration and control.
At the opposite end of the continuum are natural, green and safe ingredients that are 'exempt' from regulation as they pose no threat to humans, animals or environmental health.
If you are choosing products for use in your own home, these are serious differences to consider.
The irony is that a product with EPA registration is often perceived by the public as safe whereas a product without registration is considered untested or risky.
But in reality, EPA registration is reserved for ingredients that can cause harm.
So the next time you are applying bug spray on your children, consider your options.
If you are swatting mosquitoes, dealing with ants in the kitchen or facing a nightmare like bed bugs, what will influence your pest control product decision? EPA registered or EPA exempt? Is there really a choice?
These products affect the nervous system of pests.
They are comprised of ingredients that can also affect humans, animals and the environment.
Therefore, it makes sense that these substances would need strict government regulation in order to protect the public.
That is the job of the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA.
However, not all pest control products are created equally.
There is a whole other category of pest control products that are EPA 'exempt' and do not need to be registered as they are determined to be safe and require no registration.
So who determines what is considered safe? The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) was passed in order to provide guidelines and safety controls for products available for public use.
In 1996, the EPA released what is referred to as List 25(b) which was part of FIFRA and it has 30 ingredients that are all naturally occurring substances.
They ingredients are identified by the EPA "to be of a character which is unnecessary to be subject to this Act".
In other words, these ingredients pose no threat to public safety and are exempt from the strict safety regulations that affect other, synthetic chemical pesticides.
The EPA controls this list - they have done the exhaustive research to determine what is 'safe'enough to be included.
So if a pest control product has an active ingredient found on List 25(b), the EPA's stance is that the product is 'demonstrably safe for the intended use'.
No need to test it further, no need to protect the public from it, no need for concern.
A pest control product with an 'exempt' active ingredient has already been proven to be safe.
The ingredients included in List 25(b) are a compilation of natural, green pest control options.
Items like cedar oil, cinnamon oil, citronella oil, peppermint oil and geranium oil pepper the list of only 30 ingredients that all come from Nature herself - not crazy man-made chemicals with names you cannot pronounce.
At one end of the spectrum are synthetic chemicals that in order to be available for public use require EPA registration and control.
At the opposite end of the continuum are natural, green and safe ingredients that are 'exempt' from regulation as they pose no threat to humans, animals or environmental health.
If you are choosing products for use in your own home, these are serious differences to consider.
The irony is that a product with EPA registration is often perceived by the public as safe whereas a product without registration is considered untested or risky.
But in reality, EPA registration is reserved for ingredients that can cause harm.
So the next time you are applying bug spray on your children, consider your options.
If you are swatting mosquitoes, dealing with ants in the kitchen or facing a nightmare like bed bugs, what will influence your pest control product decision? EPA registered or EPA exempt? Is there really a choice?
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