In May, Governor
Cellucci signed into law "An Act to Protect Children and Families From Harmful
Pesticides". The Act, which is being implemented by the Massachusetts Department
of Food and Agriculture, affects all private and public schools, day care
centers and school age child care programs. The major components of the Act to
be aware of are:
- as of November 1, 2000
(1)
Pesticides shall not be applied indoors while children are on the property,
except for anti-microbial pesticides such as bleach; rodenticides placed in
tamper resistant baits; insecticidal baits; ready-to-use dusts, gels, or powder
formulations; and certain lower risk pesticides and pesticides classified as
exempt materials under 40 CFR 152.25 (also known as the 25B list which includes
garlic, mint oil and citric acid).
- Until November 1, 2001 other
pesticides can be applied indoors when children are NOT present on the
property.
(2) Pesticides shall not be applied on the outdoor property of
a school, day care center or school age child care program while children are
located in, on, or adjacent to the area of the pesticide application.
(3)
All parents, staff and children will have to be provided with standard written
notification of any pesticide application that is made outdoors on the property.
The notification will also have to be posted in a common area. The information
to be contained in the standard written notification will be obtained from the
licensed pesticide applicator who performs the work.
[NOTE: While the act
does not require this notification be made for indoor applications of
pesticides, the Department of Food and Agriculture recommends that the
notification requirements are followed for all indoor pesticide applications
except in the case of anti-microbial pesticides such as bleach; rodenticides
placed in tamper resistant baits; insecticidal baits; ready-to-use dusts, gels,
or powder formulations; and certain lower risk pesticides and pesticides
classified as exempt materials under 40 CFR 152.25 (also known as the 25B list
which includes garlic, mint oil and citric acid) .
- as of November 1, 2001
(1)
An Integrated Pest Management Plan must be developed by all schools, daycare
centers and school age child care programs. Integrated Pest Management, or IPM,
is an approach to pest control that relies on a combination of common sense
practices, not just pesticides, for preventing and controlling pests.
The
Department of Food and Agriculture and the University of Massachusetts will
conduct a comprehensive outreach and education program for schools in Winter,
2001. More information will be made available over the coming months and we will
keep you updated of developments through our newsletter.
