Integrated pest management in an urban community: a successful partnership for prevention.

Abstract

Pesticides, applied in large quantities in urban communities to control cockroaches, pose potential threats to health, especially to children, who have proportionately greater exposures and unique, developmentally determined vulnerabilities. Integrated pest management (IPM) relies on nonchemical tools-cleaning of food residues, removal of potential nutrients, and sealing cracks and crevices. Least toxic pesticides are used sparingly. To evaluate IPM's effectiveness, the Mount Sinai Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center, in partnership with two community health centers in East Harlem, New York City (NY, USA), undertook a prospective intervention trial. Families (n = 131) enrolled when mothers came to the centers for prenatal care. Household cockroach infestation was measured by glue traps at baseline and 6 months afterward. The intervention group received individually tailored IPM education, repairs, least-toxic pest control application, and supplies, with biweekly pest monitoring for 2 months and monthly for 4 months. The control group, residing in East Harlem and demographically and socioeconomically similar to the intervention group, received an injury prevention intervention. The proportion of intervention households with cockroaches declined significantly after 6 months (from 80.5 to 39.0%). Control group levels were essentially unchanged (from 78.1 to 81.3%). The cost, including repairs, of individually tailored IPM was equal to or lower than traditional chemically based pest control. These findings demonstrate that individually tailored IPM can be successful and cost-effective in an urban community. Key words: children's environmental health, cockroach, community intervention trial, integrated pest management, pesticides, urban built environment.

Pesticide loadings of select organophosphate and pyrethroid pesticides in urban public housing

“…The findings of the high prevalence of pesticides, for example, permethrin and chlorpyrifos, in these urban housing units are consistent with other studies that obtained information on pesticide prevalence via surveys and questionnaires (Landrigan et al, 1999;Adgate et al, 2000;Kinney et al, 2002;Brenner et al, 2003).…”

“…We used house dust as our target medium, since our selected pesticides are semi-volatile (organophosphates) or nonvolatile (pyrethroids), and are therefore preferentially bound in the particle phase (Berger-preie et al, 1997). Dust samples were collected from the kitchen, where pesticides are most frequently applied due to cockroach infestation (Brenner et al, 2003), and from the living room, where families tend to spend significant time while indoors. In addition, we examined the agreement between floor wipes and vacuum dust sampling methods when classifying pesticide exposure within these homes.…”

Cockroach allergen reduction by cockroach control alone in low-income urban homes: A randomized control trial

“…The homes in this study were all cockroach infested row homes and low-rise apartments with adjacent units not involved in the intervention. These homes are similar to those found in other urban areas11 , 12 , [14][15][16] , although they may not be representative of cockroach infested homes in high-rise apartment buildings.…”

Tityus stigmurus (Thorell, 1876) (Scorpiones; Buthidae): response to chemical control and understanding of scorpionism among the population

“…The product was prepared in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions (dilution 10ml per liter of water) and was applied by health agents, using manual-operated application equipment that delivered a coarse spray. Approximately one liter of insecticide solution was applied per 25m 2 , in accordance with Syngenta 25 directions. Spraying was preferentially performed outdoors around building foundations and potential breeding sites such…”