|
|
|
|
|
IU program prevents pesticides from "bugging" schoolchildren nationwide
Nov. 16, 2000
NOTE: For more information on which school systems in Indiana, Alabama, Arizona, California and Nevada are participating in Lame's pest management program, call George Vlahakis or Kate McPheeters at 812-855-3911.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- It might seem like common sense: what's bad for bugs is also bad for people. However, often this does nothing to prevent schools from spraying toxic pesticides.
Marc Lame, an entomologist and professor in Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs, developed a model to help eliminate the use of toxic pesticides in schools. Lame's integrated pest management model (IPM) utilizes what well-managed schools are already doing and integrates those procedures with best practices in pest management. It has led to a reduction in the use of harmful pesticides in schools in Indiana, Alabama, Arizona, California and Nevada.
Six years ago, Lame wanted to test his model in several Monroe County schools. He found they were more than happy to serve as pilot schools.
"They said yes because they were sensitive to these kinds of problems," he said. "Schools are already doing sanitation in order to look good and to prevent disease and sickness. Well-managed schools already have energy management programs to keep hot air in and cold air out. They already have security management regarding two-legged invaders. And, of course, schools are already doing education -- that's what schools are about."
Most schools do all of these things to have a safe learning environment, he said. "This program takes all of these things -- sanitation, energy management, security and education -- and puts them together in terms of pest management. We go in and educate the people in the schools who do sanitation, maintenance, energy management, security and education. We tell them what good pest management is."
Lame, who also is director of SPEA's Community Assistance Fellowship Program, said good pest management is basically a pro-active, preventive approach, rather than the reactive approach of spraying pesticides to eliminate an existing problem.
"The best thing you can do is to not have bugs in the first place. The second-best thing is to recognize whether they are really a problem you have to deal with," he said. "The occasional beetle that flies in from outside can be viewed as a pest, but it is nothing you would ever want to spray chemicals for -- not just one pest."
Lame's model educates school officials about what they should do when reactive measures are needed and what the alternatives are. For example, he has found that in many cases less toxic and low-impact pesticides are even more effective than the more harmful substances being used for insects in schools.
The program provides training and education for custodians, maintenance workers, kitchen staff, teachers and administrators. They learn about the factors leading to pest infestation, the kinds of pests that often are found in schools, and how they can be dealt with.
It is a very prescribed program, with a memorandum of understanding and a time line. Lame said the program always begins with a technical assessment of the school's current pest management practices.
"Wherever we go in the United States, we require the school districts to provide records of what they have been spraying, what they have been spraying for, and what they are spraying on, so we can determine what kind of pesticide exposure is going on in the school," he said.
Lame described his program as being fairly involved. "We stay in touch with the schools every couple of weeks," he said. "If there are any problems, someone is always on call."
Schools not only are given an educational program for school staff and administrators, but also are set up with an IPM coordinator. The coordinator monitors schools for conditions that attract or allow pests to come into schools and for current problems with insects. This person may be someone from within the school or an outside pest control expert, but he or she is expected to follow the program's procedures.
"The IPM coordinator as a pest management professional can decide what action to take," Lame said. "We also do a final evaluation, at which time we ask the school district and the implementers in that state -- which includes the U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperative Extension and state regulators -- what their plan is for taking this statewide."
When the program first began, Lame arranged a partnership using expertise from Purdue University and the private sector. Together, they set up a community assistance program with SPEA graduate students.
Lame and his associates assessed several schools in Monroe County six years ago. "Based on what was going on there, we felt the schools could really benefit from integrated pest management," he said.
Lame began by implementing the program at three Monroe County schools. It worked so well that the Monroe County Community School Corp. decided to expand it to all of the system's 21 schools, impacting more than 10,000 students, teachers and employees.
In just one year, MCCSC officials saw a 92 percent reduction in pesticide exposure. They completely eliminated most dangerous pesticides. Overall, there has been an 80 percent reduction in their pest problems.
"These schools not only had fewer pests, but also fewer pesticides, which was the problem," Lame said. The MCCSC program has operated on its own for the last three years.
In its first year, the MCCSC became a Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Partner with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with Lame as the coordinator. In doing so, they developed a model that he is taking to other school systems.
He has partnered with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and Purdue University in expanding his model statewide. Purdue is taking on more responsibility for the program in Indiana through its Cooperative Extension services.
Lame has continued his work with EPA to expand his program nationwide. Together, they have programs in Auburn, Ala.; Tempe, Ariz.; Marin County, Calif.; and Las Vegas, Nev.
"The response there has been wonderful. It is such a good deal because IPM has been around for a long time," Lame said. "I didn't invent IPM in schools. It has been around for 10 years or so. However, this particular model, which incorporates it into existing school operations, is working very well. It is an easy sale for schools. The world is just beginning to open up."
(George Vlahakis, 812-855-0846, gvlahaki@indiana.edu or Kate McPheeters, 812-855-3911, kmcpheet@indiana.edu)