Licensed Louisiana PCOs Permitted to do Antimicrobial Work

MADISONVILLE, La. — More than 120 Pest Management Professionals (PMPs) from over 78 companies in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas are gathering in Madisonville, La., on Tuesday, Oct. 11 to participate in a training workshop organized by Nisus Corporation and Univar on the proper procedures for making flood damaged homes habitable.

PMPs play a vital part in preserving structures after flood damage. The training workshop, the second conducted by Nisus, will take place at the Lake Pontchartrain Maritime Museum, 133 Marble Drive in Madisonville.  Registration is from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., and the training runs from 8:30 a.m to 5:00 a.m with lunch provided. There is no cost for participating licensed PMPs and state regulators. To register, contact Tony Gugliuzza at Univar, (504) 733-8885.

A ruling issued by the Office of the Commissioner at the Louisiana Dept. of Agriculture stated, “…confusion has arisen as to whether pest control operators licensed by the Structural Pest Control Commission are commercial applicators who may engage in antimicrobial pest control. The commissioner has, therefore, determined that these emergency rules are necessary to alleviate the confusion and to ensure that there are sufficient licensed commercial applicators to help bring the pandemic growth of microbial organisms under control and reduce the health risk to the citizens of this state. The presence of adequate numbers of commercial applicators, including pest control operators, licensed by this state will help ensure that citizens requiring antimicrobial pest control will receive such services from reputable persons answerable to a state regulatory body. The presence of licensed commercial applicators will also help reduce the risk of Louisiana citizens being "ripped off" by sham operators, thereby reducing further economic loss to citizens who can least afford further economic loss.” (A copy of the entire ruling can be found at the end of this document or read online at www.state.la.us/osr/emr/emr_page.asp.)

“There are multiple dangers that exist in many of these homes, including pathogenic bacteria, viruses and heath-effect mold fungi, as well as the future risk of structural failure through decay,” says Dr. Jeff Lloyd, BSc ARCS, PhD, DIC, FIWS. Dr. Lloyd is vice president of Research and Development at Nisus Corporation in Rockford, Tennessee. He holds degrees in Applied Biology and Microbiology, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry/Preservation Technology. “Pest Control Operators can have an essential, positive impact on the heath and safety of homeowners as well as the long-term preservation of homes.”

Dr. Lloyd suggests that careful steps be taken to deal successfully with flood-damaged structures. “The first step is to be aware of the available information on this topic from sources such as FEMA, the CDC, the EPA and the American Red Cross,” Dr. Lloyd explains. “The second step is to eliminate the moisture by removing water and all damaged materials according to the guidelines. The third step is to disinfect the structure using an EPA registered disinfectant and sanitizer (bactericide and virucide). Finally, completely dry out the structure, and then treat all remaining wood and structural components with an EPA registered preservative (termiticide, fungicide and insecticide). After that, appropriate repairs can take place.”

At the request of PCOs and associations, Nisus Corporation developed and organized the second training workshop along with creating and assembling the many supporting materials for the session. The educational materials include a summary 10 step “Structural Protection” checklist to help PCOs deal with the emergency situation. See www.nisuscorp.com for the 10-step list for PCOs and well as a version for homeowners.