Insecticide industry professionals are worried these days because the government has passed new regulations meaning they will have to pass on substantial new costs to their customers, to the tune of up to $145 million dollars. The Environmental Protection Agency sees things differently, though, noting that the industry itself produced figures that show there are equally cost effective and work just as well to target the powder post beetle as the old chemicals.
Pest control companies are just as quick to dispute the EPA’s claims, though, as the vice president of a local pest control company said that removing the popular pesticide from the market will make it more expensive to treat homes for the beetle. He compared the insect to a termite and said that it infests as many as 140,000 homes in the country every year. The previously used chemical was great, he noted, because it allowed the exterminator to spray the house once a year and then be able to guarantee that the home would be beetle free for a year or more. He says there was nothing dangerous about the chemical and that it was highly effective, but now that it is banned they have no choice but to use total fumigation.
So the occupant must flee his house during the time in which it is filled by a chemical gas cloud. Rather than simply paying a small amount of money charged for the typical chemical application, most homeowners with this pest now have to come out of pocket about $1,000 to $2,000. Claiming that the pesticide industry came out with a different pesticide that replaced the banned chemical for a comparable impact and expense, the EPA spokesman refuted the vice president’s expense claims. The EPA rep continued by noting that the damage caused by powder post beetles is more aesthetic and not nearly as insidious as termite damage.
The EPA has tagged what they claim the be a good replacement for the banned chemical called pentachlorophenol, which they believe will be just as good as the chemical they banned. This is making the EPA state that homeowners should not see any increase in the cost of pest removal. Even the company who prduced the banned chemical and some members of the pest control association are in agreement with the findings of the EPA. The testimony was gleaned from hearings the EPA conducted when addressing what stance they should take on halting the use of the banned chemical.
If the skeptics worst fears are realized, it could mean millions of extra dollars in pest control costs that are ultimately dumped off on the consumer to combat the powder post beetle. The owner of a pest control company claims that his company has safely and effectively used the banned chemical for over 30 years with no problems, and he is now disgusted that his only option is to explain to his customer that if they want protection they will have to pay $1000 or more to have their home fumigated. These people do not believe the EPA got all of the facts before making a decision. He says there is no doubt that the decision made was the wrong one, and he hopes that the EPA will reverse their decision, but he is not hopeful that such a move could happen quickly.
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