[Technically Speaking] Why Can’t Everyone Be A Professional?

I have been struggling for the past six months trying to write a chapter on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for the upcoming ninth edition of the Mallis Handbook of Pest Control. Why struggle with something I feel should be second nature to all pest management professionals? The difficulty is in determining who the target audience is.

If my readers are you, the pest management professionals, there is little I can add to what you already know and are practicing. Perhaps the chapter will reaffirm your belief in IPM, provide a new perspective on how to improve on what you are doing, or simply pat you on the back for a job well done.

On the other hand, if my readers are the non-professionals, those individuals who still subscribe to the spray and pray practice of extermination, I doubt they will gain anything from the chapter — they won’t read it. At one time I thought the ranks of the non-professional were in decline, however, two events of the past year have convinced me otherwise.

EXAMPLE NUMBER ONE. The first of these events could have been avoided through the use of common sense. A gallon of pyrethroid termiticide was spilled and rather than take the necessary action to contain and clean up the spill, the certified applicator washed the spill into a storm drain.

The drain in turn led to a creek where tens of thousands of fish subsequently died. As the events unfolded, the company adamantly denied spilling any product that could cause the fish kill. Federal and state investigation ultimately determined that the company had spilled the product, washed it into the creek and withheld information about the incident.

What should the pest management professional have done? He should have taken the necessary measures to contain and clean up the spill. The company should have reported the incident to management who in turn should have reported it to the state regulatory agency. They should have cooperated fully with the state and federal investigation of the incident.

EXAMPLE NUMBER TWO. The second incident involves the death of two red pandas and the possible poisoning of several employees at the National Zoo. Reportedly, a company applied aluminum phosphide to rodent burrows at the zoo without consideration of where the phosphine gas may end up.

It is true that aluminum phosphide is registered and labeled for rodent burrow treatments. But my immediate response is, "So what?" Did the company know where every burrow was and where gas might escape? In this case, the answer is obviously no.

What should the pest management professional have done? He or she should not have used a fumigant without thoroughly considering the consequences of its use, i.e., non-target animal and human injury. He or she should have exhausted all other potential methods of rodent control, e.g., resource reduction, trapping and baiting.

CREATING STANDARDS? Whenever I hear of incidents of this nature, my hope is that it did not involve a member of our industry. Granted, all companies make mistakes, but incidents of this nature and magnitude damage the professionalism we have worked so hard to build.

I have always and will remain at odds with states that promulgate regulations creating a special category for certification in IPM. I believe states should change their training materials, educational programs, regulations and tests so that IPM is reflected in all certification categories. Many are headed in the right direction — they just have not gone far enough.

Another step in the right direction is the NPMA Project Development Coun-cil’s Education Committee’s development of a credentialing program for IPM in schools. But in my estimation this is a baby step. Granted, schools are an important element of a child’s environment, but children spend more time in and around their home than they do in school.

Furthermore, many schools already have implemented reduced risk (IPM) strategies and there has been a significant reduction in pesticide use in and around schools. It is time to reach beyond the schools and recognize that there is a need to practice IPM in all places frequented by children, e.g., homes, restaurants, recreational areas, hospitals, food manufacturing, distribution and sales.

It is time to bring everyone in this industry into the IPM fold, even if they come kicking and screaming. While IPM does not guarantee professionalism, it establishes industry "standards" to which all can aspire. These "standards" are not prescriptive in nature but provide a paradigm in which we can all function.

My question remains, "What is so hard about being a professional?"

The author is technical director of American Pest Management, Takoma Park, Md. He can be reached at 301/891-2600 or rkramer@pctonline.com.