JPSE Volume 18 (2016)

JPSE Volume 18 - 2016

Research Study - Pages 1 to 11

A Closer Examination of EPA’s Proposed Amendments to 40 CFR Part 171: Certification of Pesticide Applicators – Impacts on Texas

Dean A. McCorkle, Dan D. Hanselka, Don L. Renchie, Mark A. Matocha, Janis J. Reed

Abstract

In 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a report entitled “Economic Analysis of Proposed Amendments to 40 CFR Part 171: Certification of Pesticide Applicators.” The objective of this study was to assess EPA’s report; more specifically, the estimated economic impact on Texas pesticide applicators and the state. Additionally, an effort was made to replicate EPA’s economic cost calculations for Texas. For private and commercial applicators, most of EPA’s estimated costs are tied to the proposed minimum age requirement. Several economic costs were identified that were not taken into account by EPA. We contend that these should be included in order to assess the full economic impact associated with the proposed changes in regulations. For private applicators, these costs include time and travel costs to attend the proposed additional certification trainings. For commercial applicators, they include lost business revenue and associated travel cost. For the state, costs include Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agricultural agents’ and specialists’ time and increased travel expenses to conduct more certification trainings. As a result of this analysis, the authors developed a template that allows states to determine the economic impact (on agencies and applicators) of EPA’s proposed changes within their states.

Keywords: certification and training, economic costs, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), pesticide applicators

Full Text: 77-439-2-PB.pdf

Program Description - Pages 12 to 28

Establishment of the North Carolina Pesticide Incident Surveillance Program and the Integration of its Findings into Pesticide Safety Education Programs

Sheila Higgins, Ricky Langley, Wayne Buhler

Abstract

Pesticides are widely used in residential, agricultural, municipal, and commercial establishments to control a variety of pests. However, improper use of pesticides may result in adverse health effects. Reporting acute pesticide-related illnesses to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is voluntary, and the extent of unintentional pesticide exposures and resulting harmful effects is not known in most states. To address this issue, the North Carolina Division of Public Health established a pesticide incident surveillance program that requires all healthcare providers in the state to report pesticide-related injury and illnesses within 48 hours of diagnosis. We describe the steps involved in establishing this statewide program, an analysis of the cases reported over the first six years, and how the data collected are used in various pesticide safety education outreach efforts within North Carolina.

Keywords: pesticides, pesticide-related illnesses, pesticide exposure, pesticide incident surveillance program, pesticide safety education

Full Text: 76-400-1-PB.pdf

Journal of Pesticide Safety Education by American Association of Pesticide Safety Educators is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.