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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the authority to regulate the sale and usage of pesticides from two main laws: the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA).  These two laws, as well as other statutes which affect the Agency's pesticide programs, are described here on the EPA's website. EPA has a Factsheet on Internet Sales, please click here to follow the link.

EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs has a fact sheet on Assessing Health Risks from Pesticides as well as several other Health and Safety Fact Sheets.  To learn more about all of the Federal chemical safety programs, as well as information about representative state and non-governmental activities that help guide U.S. chemical safety activities and coordination efforts see the U.S. National Profile on Management of Chemicals.

For general pesticide information, including information on labels, storage, and safety, you may wish to explore our General Pesticide Information factsheets. For more information on agricultural pesticides, laws and regulations, and pesticide application training, please see our other CEPEP factsheets located under Pesticide Safety Education .

West Nile Virus Information                                          - Return to top -

West Nile encephalitis (WNE), a mosquito-transmitted disease, was first documented in North America during the summer of 1999, when an outbreak occurred in New York City. WNE is caused by West Nile virus (WNV), a flavivirus previously only found in Africa, Eastern Europe, and West Asia. Cases of West Nile virus (WNV) infection have been confirmed in northeastern, north central, southern, and western regions of the United States, and the virus is expected to spread throughout North America. 

On August 15, 2002, three horses and a crow in the state of Colorado tested positive for West Nile Virus. There were 14 positive human cases of WNV in Colorado in 2002, while nationally there were 4,156 positive human cases and 284 deaths. A total of 14,717 cases of WNV infection (from 40 states) have been confirmed in horses through diagnostic testing at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories of the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and 4,300 horses have died or were euthanized. 

Mosquitoes spread this virus after they feed on infected birds and then bite people, other birds and animals. Most people who become infected with West Nile virus will have either no symptoms or only mild ones. However, on rare occasions, West Nile virus infection can result in severe and sometimes fatal illnesses. 

Dead birds in an area may mean that West Nile virus is circulating between the birds and the mosquitoes in that area. Over 110 species of birds are known to have been infected with WNV. Although birds, particularly crows and jays, infected with WNV can die or become ill, most infected birds do survive. 

The public can play an important role in monitoring WNV through reporting dead birds. Colorado began to test dead corvids (includes crows, magpies, ravens, and jays) for WNV in 2001. Persons finding a dead crow (that died within the previous two days) should use gloves when handling a carcass. Information on the collection and submission of a dead corvid is available on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment website as well as the submission form.

Facts about the Pesticide Sensitive Registry And Mosquito and Other Public Health Pesticide Applications.

  • Mosquito spraying is performed by city, county or other local authorities or by companies they hire under their local authority to protect the health of the people in the community.
  • If you don't want your property included in the spraying, you must contact those people and ask them to exclude your property from the program if they are able to do that.
  • Any notification provided to the public during a Public Health Pest Control operation (i.e.: mosquito treatment applications) by municipalities and/or commercial applicators, is done as a courtesy to those requesting, not because it is a state law requirement.
  • The registry maintained by the Colorado Department of Agriculture does not pertain to mosquito spraying, or any pesticide applications other than those made to control pests of lawns, trees & shrubs.
  • The pesticide sensitive registry is for people who have or can obtain documentation of sensitivity to pesticide products from a licensed Colorado physician.
  • To be placed on the registry a certificate must be signed, by a physician licensed to practice medicine in the state of Colorado, stating that you have a medical condition that makes you sensitive to pesticides.
  • The registry does not prevent application of pesticides but only requires that commercial applicators (like lawn care companies) notify people on the registry 24 hours before an application is made to abutting property (property that touches yours) so that you can leave for a period of time or make other preparations for the application.
  • The law that outlines the requirements of the Pesticide Sensitive Registry can be found under 35-10-112 of the PAA, which can be accessed through the following link: http://www.ag.state.co.us/dpi/pesticideapplicator/Publications/PestAppAct.pdf
  • If you have questions regarding the date, time, or area of an upcoming public health pest control application (i.e.: mosquito control) you should contact your local health department.

Follow this link for Mosquito Management Product Labels and MSDS.

Websites concerning WNV spraying and impact on honey bees: 

There are also several informational websites available:

  National

  CEPEP West Nile Virus Factsheets

  EPA Factsheets

  Colorado

Pesticide Safety and Children                                     - Return to top -

"Childhood exposure to pesticides is an environmental health risk facing children today. We are very focused on helping communities address this problem."
- Christie Todd Whitman, Administrator U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

IPM is a process for achieving long term, environmentally sound pest suppression through the use of a wide variety of technological and management practices. Control strategies in an IPM program extend beyond the application of pesticides to include structural and procedural modifications that reduce the food, water, harborage, and access used by pests.

Four Points of IPM:

  • Prevention of pest populations
  • Application of pesticides only "as needed"
  • Selecting the least hazardous pesticides effective for control of targeted pests
  • Precision targeting of pesticides to areas not contacted or accessible to the children, faculty, or staff

EPA has several resources to educate the public about ways to prevent children from being poisoned by pesticides and household products:

  • Learn About Chemicals Around Your House - An interactive website designed to teach children and parents about household products, including pesticides, that may contain harmful chemicals.
  • Read the Label First! Protect Your Kids - A brochure that provides information on preventing children from being exposed to pesticides and household cleaners by reading and following product label instructions and precautions, keeping products in their original containers , and storing products out of the reach of children.
  • Pesticides and Child Safety - A fact sheet providing current household pesticide-related poisonings and exposure statistics from the American Association of Poison Control Centers, as well as recommendations for preventing poisonings and first aid guidelines.
  • Help! It's A Roach - A roach prevention interactive website for kids and parents.

IPM in Schools                                                   - Return to top -

Use of IPM principles and practices in the school environment is a growing trend in communities throughout the United States. The implementation of IPM programs in schools began in the 1970's, largely through the efforts of parents concerned with the effects of pesticides on their children. Schools adopting IPM programs report effective pest suppression as well as reduced costs and chemical use.

In contrast to traditional pest control, IPM focuses on solving pest problems with a variety of methods, which include; pest monitoring programs, record keeping, increased sanitation and pest exclusion devises. When the management tactics of an IPM program indicate the need for pesticides, the pest management professional selects those materials that have the least impact on the human population at risk of exposure. Furthermore, a concerted effort should be made to apply these pesticides precisely to the smallest possible area.

Colorado ChemSweep Program    

Colorado ChemSweep is a program organized and performed by MSE Environmental, Inc., a firm specializing in hazardous material management.  This program meets all State and Federal hazardous waste regulations.  If you have any unwanted, unused, or banned/outdated pesticide waste that you wish to dispose of, "Colorado ChemSweep" is an environmentally sound and economical disposal option for this material.

We have made available a copy of both the ChemSweep informational pamphlet and the registration form for download in .pdf format.  If you do not have Adobe Acrobat available, follow the link below for a free download.

Get Acrobat Reader

Other Consumer Information Links                                   - Return to top -

Agriculture Bio Security                                    - Return to top -

Food and Agricultural Biosecurity Factsheets for Meal Providers/Producers/Processors.
 

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