Chapter 5
Professional Pest Control Industry Perspective on Public Concerns and Regulatory Issues
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T. J. Delaney Professional Lawn Care Association of America, 1000 Johnson Ferry Road, Northeast, Suite C-135, Marietta, GA 30068
The professional pest control industry feels that the public's concerns about urban/suburban pesticide use must be taken seriously. The industry is addressing these concerns by using the well-established concept of risk communication--an approach that consists of giving the public open and complete information about pesticide applications. As part of the industry's risk communication program, it is promoting its support of reasonable and responsible legislation, including a requirement for notifying the public when pesticides are applied. It is also pursuing regulations requiring additional education for all pesticide applicators. The industry believes this approach will lessen the public's fear of pesticides, and make them feel more comfortable about urban/suburban pesticide use.
Today's heightened environmental movement has galvanized into an anti-pesticide movement. And the anti-pesticide groups are focusing on what they see as the weakest, most visible pesticide user~the urban/suburban user. Citing aesthetics as the only benefit of outdoor pesticide applications, these groups try to make the urban/suburban customer feel guilty for having a green lawn, or for hiring any kind of pesticide applicator. They frighten these people with hype about highrisks,such as the cancer-scare tactic. They launch the kind of public relations campaigns that are almost always picked up by the media because of their controversial, sensational news value. Headlines, articles, and even cartoons have been used to single out the urban/suburban pesticide users and portray them in a negative light. The Dan Rather "CBS Nightly News" segment that aired during the 1991 U.S. Senate lawn care hearings is a prime example of this type of negative media coverage. This negative publicity-fueled by local pesticide ordinances, federal and state bills, Government Accounting Office (GAO) reports, and congressional hearings-creates a negative perception of pesticides in the public's mind. The urban/suburban pesticide user industry is trying to respond to this negative perception with a two-pronged approach: 1) by using the well-established concept ofriskcommunication; and 2) by pursuing regulations, including requiring additional education for all pesticide applicators. 0097-6156/93/0522-0041$06.00/0 © 1993 American Chemical Society
Racke and Leslie; Pesticides in Urban Environments ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1993.
PESTICIDES
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IN URBAN
ENVIRONMENTS
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RISK COMMUNICATION To counteract the media's portrayal of us as an uncaring, unregulated industry, we promote our support of reasonable and responsible legislation. We believe the issue we are addressing is the public's desire to know more about the pesticide application process. What, when, and why is a pesticide being applied? The public would like to know these things and would like to feel that they have some control over the process. Famousriskcommunicators Peter Sandman, Director of the Environmental Communications Research Program at Rutgers University, and Vincent Covello, Director of Columbia University's Center for Risk Communications, agree that posting and notification of pesticide applicationsfitsinto the proven principles ofriskcommunication. Scientists don't understand why the public's perception of therisksof pesticides is much higher than the actualrisks.They believe that if they tell the public there is no scientific evidence of unacceptablerisksfrompesticides, the public will stop worrying and the perceivedriskwill disappear. But their approach is wrong. The pesticide user industry is trying to alleviate the public's fears by letting them feel that they have control over the pesticide application process-by notifying them when pesticides are applied. This approach lets individuals decide for themselves whether they want to expose themselves to a pesticide. It helps gain the public's trust and gives credibility to our industry. Consider the public's perception of risk: 1. Voluntaryrisksare accepted more readily than those that are imposed. 2. Risks that individuals feel they have some control over are better accepted than risks that individuals feel they have no control over. 3. Risks that seem fair are more acceptable than those that seem unfair. 4. Naturalrisksseem more acceptable than artificial risks. 5. Risks that are known are more acceptable than those that are not known. Based on these points of perceived risk, the pesticide user industry believes that the following, when reasonable and consistent, is the best approach for communicating risk: 1. Post a sign to allow individuals to decide for themselves whether they want to expose themselves to the pesticide. 2. Have an open notification registry so that people can decide for themselves whether they want to be pre-notified or not 3. Give people information about what product is being applied, how much, and for what reason. Also provide them with the opportunity to request copies of product labels.
Racke and Leslie; Pesticides in Urban Environments ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1993.
5.
DELANEY
Pest Control Industry Perspective
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4. Explain that these products are the same ones that homeowners or "do-it-yourselfers" can buy; and if they apply these products, they should be posting too.
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5. Be responsive to a customer's request for additional information about a product 6. Provide customers with an open-ended service agreement that spells out the terms of the pest control program. This puts the customers in control-they can cancel the service agreement at any time. 7. Offer the customer alternative programs, such as an organic, natural, or pesticidefree program. EDUCATION OF PESTICIDE APPLICATORS The urban/suburban pesticide user industry believes that proper training of pesticide applicators is one of the most important factors in providing responsible pest control services to the public. The pest control industry also believes that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) should have requirements for licensing applicators of general use pesticides, and required training for technicians making applications. In addition, the pesticide user industry is concerned that even with these additional requirements, many of the non-commercial users of pesticides~the homeowner "do-ityour-selfers "--often apply these products without sufficient information or instruction. We feel that the pesticide user industry and the state extension agencies should consider adopting voluntary training programs aimed at these pesticide users. These provisions are part of an approach that should help address the public's concerns about pesticides. Also, the Professional Lawn Care Association of America (PLCAA) has developed a document containing commonly asked questions and answers about lawn care. PLCAA consulted closely with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Trade Commission on this document, which it feels will help in the risk communication process by supplying more information to the public. "What You Should Know About Lawn Care Products and Services" covers such topics as pesticide safety, regulation of lawn care products and services, posting and notification, and the pesticide registration process. It also discusses the terms natural organic, natural based, and organic based. The pesticide user industry feels that with increased education for all users of pesticides, and a commitment to a proper communications program by the entire industry including manufacturers, suppliers, users, and scientists, we will be on the road to solving the problem of a negative perception of urban/suburban pesticide use. RECEIVED December 18, 1992
Racke and Leslie; Pesticides in Urban Environments ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1993.
