CDC Warns about Bed Bug Pesticide Poisoning

Washington, DC – If you were concerned about beg bugs in your home or building you should be more concerned about poisoning your body to treat the bed bugs today.  At least 111 people in seven states have gotten sick from being exposed to chemicals used to try to eradicate bedbugs within the past 10 years, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday.

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of bed bug-related inquiries received by the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) over the past several years, with many involving incidents of pesticide exposure, spills, or misapplications. From January 2006-December 2010, NPIC reported 169 calls to their hotline where residents, homeowners, or pesticide applicators sprayed pesticides indoors to treat bedbugs. These cases involved pesticides that were misapplied, not intended for indoor use, or legally banned from use. Of those, 129 resulted in mild or serious health effects (including one death) for persons living in affected residences

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have alerted the public to an emerging national concern regarding misuse of pesticides to treat infestations of bed bugs and other insects indoors. Some pesticides are being applied indoors even though they are approved only for outdoor use. Even pesticides that are approved for indoor use can cause harm if over applied or not used as instructed on the product label.

ATSDR warns that outdoor pesticides should not be used indoors under any circumstances. Homeowners and applicators should always carefully read the product label to make sure that:

• it has an EPA registration number
• it is intended for indoor use
• it is effective against bed bugs (the label should say it is meant to be used to treat your home for bed bugs) and
• you know how to properly mix the product (if a concentrate) and where and how to apply it safely within the home.

Consumers should also be aware of recent cases where licensed and unlicensed pest control applicators illegally sprayed outdoor pesticides indoors to control bed bugs. In some cases, these pesticides were found at levels that harmed or could have harmed people’s health. In some cases, residents were relocated until their homes could be decontaminated.

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, bed bugs can carry more than 30 different human pathogens, but there is no evidence that bed bugs can transmit diseases. Their bites can; however, leave itchy welts on their victims. Red marks or swelling may also develop. Bedbugs bite the exposed skin of sleeping humans to feed on their blood. Decades ago, bedbugs were eradicated from most developed nations using DDT — a pesticide that's since been banned because it's so toxic.

Spurred perhaps by increases in international travel, bedbugs are becoming a problem once again. The risk of encountering bedbugs increases if you spend time in places with high turnovers of nighttime guests such as hotels, hospitals or homeless shelters.  Before treating your indoor environment for bed bugs with chemicals it is essential to know if they exist.  Bed Bug Screen Check screen check kits are ideal for this purpose.

Bed Bug Test Kits: Bed Bug Screen Check DIY kits among 20 other DIY IAQ kits are available to purchase from http://www.indoorairtest.com/ distributors e.g. Grainger, Hunter Fans, Professional Equipment, etc… and on line retailers. For more information on the IAQ Screen Test product line, please visit www.indoorairtest.com or contact Cy Garner at 1-800-422-7873 ext 404. 

About Building Health Check, LLC:

Alan Wozniak founded Building Health Check, LLC as a product manufacturing component for Pure Air Control Services, Inc. Building health Check, LLC the IAQ screen check kit products are manufactured from its offices in Clearwater, FL. Pure Air has serviced more than 600 million square feet of indoor environments in over 10,000 facilities.

Pure Air Control Services nationally performed services include: Building Sciences Evaluation; Building Health Check; EDLab an AIHA accredited Environmental Microbiology Laboratory; Environmental Project Management; and HVAC System Cleaning/Mold Remediation Services, among other indoor environmental services. The company’s expanding client roster includes the General Services Administration (GSA); Allstate Insurance; Carrier Air Conditioning; Naval Air Warfare Center, Orlando; and Naval Air Station - King's Bay, Georgia, and many other Fortune 500 companies, school boards, and city, state, and county governments, making Pure Air a reliable industry leader.

For more information on Building Health Check, LLC. and/or its distribution please contact Cy Garner, at (800) 422-7873 ext 404, or visit www.indoorairtest.com

iaq@pureaircontrols.com