Pests and their control can have long-term health effects on the occupants of a building, especially in schools where young people are more susceptible to the potentially harmful effects of pesticides. But we don’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water, so a balance must be struck that eliminates or drastically reduces pest problems, while reducing the harmful effects of pest control products.

Unmanaged pest problems and unsafe pesticide use practices threaten our children’s health and our ability to educate them effectively.

“Pound for pound of body weight, children not only breathe more, eat more, and have a more rapid metabolism than adults, but they also play on the floor and lawn where pesticides are commonly applied,” according to the U.S. EPA’s Office of Children’s Health Protection. “Children have more frequent hand-to-mouth contact as well. They generally are more susceptible than adults to environmental toxics because they are growing and developing.”

But pests are more than a nuisance, especially for children. They can pose a serious health threat to youngsters who are unaware of the danger. Consider these statistics:

· Rats bite more than 45,000 people annually, mostly infants and children.

· Seven to 8 percent of the U.S. population is allergic to cockroaches, which also can transmit a variety of digestive tract disorders, including food poisoning, dysentery and diarrhea.

· Rodents are responsible for, or implicated in, the spread of numerous diseases.

· Mosquitoes are prime carriers of several types of encephalitis, a devastating illness that attacks the central nervous system of humans.

There is an answer, though. Full implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is affordable and cost-effective, and can reduce pesticide exposure, pesticide use and pest complaints. However, adoption remains low. Facilities managers can’t do it alone, either. According to the Integrated Pest Management Institute, a coordinated national effort is critically needed to make safe and effective pest management the standard for all of our schools.

That’s why a new National School IPM Working Group has been formed, and all are welcome to join. The plan, “School IPM 2015: A Strategic Plan for Integrated Pest Management in Schools in the United States,” calls for a 70 percent reduction in both pest complaints and pesticide use in schools. It relies on the coordinated efforts of teachers, custodians, food service staff, school administrators, pest management professionals, Agricultural Extension staff, regulators, architects, and parents to reduce pesticide risk in our schools.

This strategic plan is designed to accomplish this objective by facilitating implementation of high level IPM in all schools nationwide by 2015.

How do you know if the pest management practices in your school are the least risk, most effective available? Is your school doing as much as possible to prevent and avoid pest problems? How many of the available IPM practices is your school implementing?

Participating in this initiative can help you answer these questions. To learn more, and to join the initiative, go to www.epa.gov/pesticides/ipm/schoolipm2015.htm.

Thanks and good luck.