The Ongoing Saga Of FQPA

You’ve probably heard (and hopefully read) quite a bit of information pertaining to the Food Quality Protection Act. Not only have we printed several articles on the topic, but so has the mainstream media. If you’ve been keeping track, you may have seen any one of a number of articles appearing in newspapers across the country, from the New York Times to the Sacramento Bee. It’s a long story that has had some twists and turns, and of course, the saga continues.

This month, in PCT’s cover story, The Risk Cup, we examine one of the most crucial elements in implementing the Food Quality Protection Act. It’s the vaunted Risk Cup, the imaginary vessel which is said to hold the maximum allowed exposure a person may have to each class of pesticides, no matter where it may come from. Interestingly, there are still two variables that make the Risk Cup especially nebulous: one is its size, the other is how much “risk” is being poured in. Meanwhile, there is much dialogue within the Environmental Protection Agency and among its committees that is already implying just how full the Risk Cup appears to be.

The major suppliers of the pesticide products you use have a vested interest in helping the EPA arrive at a sound, reasonable outcome. And you may not realize it, but so do you. You can get involved in this long-term undertaking, if you aren’t already, by first reading up on the proceedings. PCT, of course, has and will continue to document the events that unfold concerning the FQPA. Another good resource you should use in keeping up-to-date is the EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs web site, located at www.epa.gov/pesticides.

The next step in getting involved is communicating. You can submit your comments on the matter to your congressional representatives, and also to the EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs. They need to know how pesticide regulation affects this industry, and why the products you use are so important to the health and welfare of Americans. If they don’t hear from you, they will assume their actions are appropriate, which may not be the case. You can find more information about this in this month’s cover story by clicking here.

Other industry news of note: Building on its success in 1997, the Florida Pest Control Association will hold another Termite Symposium on Dec. 3 at the Orlando Marriott in downtown Orlando. Executive Director Toni Caithness notes that last year’s event was the most successful symposium yet for the association, with more than 200 attendees registered. The association hopes to top that number this year.

One highlight of the symposium is its “interactive trade show” in which exhibitors submit questions about their products or booth demonstrations to attendees in advance. Then, attendees must visit each trade show booth to learn the answers to these questions. The answer sheets are then turned in, scored and entered in a cash prize drawing. As in 1997, Paul Bello of Zeneca Professional Products is the chairperson of the event. (Incidentally, it was Bello who came up with the idea behind the interactive trade show.) And once again the association has lined up an impressive array of speakers, including Fred Strickland of Terminix, Roland Holt of St. John’s County Building Code Enforcement, Ken Kendall of Ensystex, Dr. Brian Forschler of the University of Georgia, and Dr. Roger Gold of Texas A&M. If last year’s program was any indication, it’s sure to be an educational and valuable session, so keep the day open!