An Outline of Pesticide Regulation in the US
If you are considering calling pest control for dealing with the pest problem of your home, then you should definitely consider being aware of the pest control laws that govern the use of pesticides in the country. These laws are very crucial in the sense that they are the governing guidelines that decide which pesticide chemical is to be used in your property for pest control or florida rodent control, the toxicity level of the chemical, the device used for pest control etc. if you are aware of these laws then it becomes easier for you to choose a suitable pest control contractor, one who is also aware of these laws.
But, first what is the need for a regulatory law for something as simple as pest control? Well, pest control, although apparently seems just as simple as spraying a particular pesticide and see the pests die in droves, in reality it is not so. Pesticides are toxic chemicals, they have been designed to kill pests, and their toxicity is not only limited to pests. The toxicity of the pesticide chemicals is a great damaging substance fort human health and is a grave environmental hazard as well. Pesticide chemicals enter our bodies through food and water, poison our waterways and the air and disrupt the ecological balance. Therefore, there is an urgent need that regulatory laws and regulatory bodies governing the laws take care that the least harm is caused by the toxicity of pesticides.
The first pesticide law was drafted more than 100 years ago in 1910, called Federal Insecticide Act. The purpose was to regulate the misbranding or fraudulent business with pesticides. The next big law was the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act of (FIFRA) 1947.This law established a labeling standard for the pesticides. Several amendments were passed on this law, unless Rachel Carson’s Silent spring was passed in 1962 that brought public attention to the harm caused by the use of pesticides like DDT on human health and environment. The book had a huge impact on public mentality and on the use of pesticides.
The direct impact of the book saw the establishment of the EPA or the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970. The Environmental Protection Agency has since been entrusted with all issues concerning pest control fl and rodent control. Two years after the EPA was created, a new law, the Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act the FEPCA was drafted, significantly changing the earlier law the FIFRA, to usher in greater regulation of pesticides for the sake of protecting the environment. EPA recommends the Integrated Pest Management process for the use of pesticides at pest control.