CHAPTER 36 THE BEST CONTROL OR HOW TO PERMANENTLY AND SAFELY CONTROL ALL WOOD DESTROYING ORGANISMS http://www.pctonline.com/copesan/ (without killing yourself) The February 1999 issue of Pest Control magazine on page 18 quotes Dr. Austin Frishman as saying, “We know that termiticides alone will not solve most termite problems.” This chapter will show you how to safely solve them without using any volatile termiticide poisons. At the time a live tree is cut down, nearly half its weight consists of water! The most destructive factor to wood in structures is excessive moisture, not wood destroying insects. Correct all moisture and humidity problems and you will also control almost all wood destroying insect problems without using any poisons. Use ventilation, moisture barriers, fans, air conditioners and/or dehumidifiers first, last and always. 1347 FORWARD Far more volatile, “registered,” synthetic pesticide poison is used to control termites than any other structural pest you will ever encounter. No volatile synthetic residual insecticide or economic poison is completely safe no matter what the professional pest control industry claims. The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), when it approves one of the economic poisons, basically is only concerned with the harmful effects that occur from a single exposure of only the active ingredient by any route of entry or its acute toxicity expressed as its LD50 or LC50 value which is the lethal dose or concentration (relative amount) of only the active ingredient required to kill 50 % of a test population, e.g., male rats. LD50 values are recorded in milligrams of active ingredient per kilogram of body weight of the test animal. LC50 values are recorded in milligrams of active ingredient per volume of air or water. Both units are the same as parts per million (ppm) which compares to 1 minute in 2 years or 1 inch in 16 miles. Inert ingredients, metabolites, contaminants, synergistic effects and chronic exposures are not evaluated, even if they are more toxic or restricted than the active ingredient. Most volatile, “registered” residual active ingredients have not even begun to be (thoroughly) evaluated regarding whether or not they are sensitizers, carcinogenic (cancer-causing), neuro-toxic and/or cause chronic (long-term) health effects. We simply do not know how many birth defects, miscarriages, breathing problems, memory losses, cancers, other sickness and deaths are caused by chronic (long-term) exposure to even minute amounts of these synthetic residual active ingredient poisons, but the danger is significant. Besides all the unknown personal hazards to the applicator and occupants of a building, we are also basically unaware of the long-term environmental hazards/contamination caused by the total toxic residual qualities of these economic poisons. No adequate studies have even been done on long term potable water and ambient air contamination caused by these toxins. We simply are unaware of how dangerous they are to us (much less future generations), especially if we are under 1 year old, over 60 years old, pregnant, chemically sensitive, have breathing problems and/or allergies. We have been told less than 1/5 oz. of chlorpyrifos will kill a full grown man. Whenever you see a pesticide (poison) advertisement that shows an insect lying dead on its back with its legs waving in the air you, should immediately know that this has a very dangerous active ingredient that can and probably will adversely effect your cholinesterase levels and probably is a deadly nerve gas or neuro-toxin that should not be used in your home if at all possible. Inert ingredients in “registered” economic poisons or synthetic residual insecticides can even be more deadly to you and your family and contaminate far longer than the active ingredient, and yet they do not have to be tested (even acutely) or even listed on the label. Even your doctor will find it very difficult or even impossible to discover what these inert ingredients actually are. Often the inert ingredient’s MSDS states it can not be used in the area or way (only the active ingredient) in the registered poison label says the poison can! I, therefore, believe no pesticide is legally or ethically registered in the U. S.! In January 1996, Pest Control magazine reported that Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon announced Orkin Exterminating had agreed to a settlement worth an estimated $7.7 million. Nixon said that in many of the estimated 7,000 homes Orkin failed to apply the original termite treatment according to label instructions.... In a Press release that was never officially issued Bob Butterworth, Florida’s Attorney General, and Bob Crawford, Commissioner of Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, noted up to 50,000 Floridians could be eligible for refunds or chemical retreatments with Terminix International Company Limited Partnership. “Terminix failed to fully treat properties for subterranean termites despite its promise to lay down a complete protective barrier against the destructive insects,” Crawford said. Terminix International is a $900 million Service Master subsidiary and has a sister operation called Tru Green ChemLawn since 1991 per the March 1998 issue of Pest Control Technology. Several years before, Connie Chung reported, Terminex had to redo 20,000 homes in Kentucky, was fined and had to set up a rather large trust fund. When Rocco DiLorenzo from Ace Pest Control in Fort Myers, FL wrote Pest Control Technology in their March issue expressing deep concern over their February cover displaying Terminix in such high regard, especially one which has had so many accusations of...improper treatments, he received the following partial comment, “For a company of Terminix’s size, with sales nearing $1 billion and 11,000 employees, it’s inevitable that some termite treatments will be performed improperly.” (Who chooses which ones are “inevitable”?) 1348 With the ever increasing and skyrocketing violence, asthma, heart arrhythmias or irregular heartbeats and/ or heart attacks, cancer rates, pulmonary problems, health problems, neurological diseases and the rapidly accumulating data that exposes the toxic disruption of our endocrine systems that control all sexual traits, fertility and reproduction, all life as we know it is literally hanging in the balance. That is why we recommend you use mechanical alteration and only sodium borate and refuse to use any volatile, synthetic residual pesticide poisons. The EPA lists over 2,518 chemicals that it allows manufacturers to add to pesticide poison formulations as inert ingredients. Inerts can include antifreeze, wood alcohol, asbestos, solvents, stabilizers, emulsifiers and preservatives. Many synthetic residual pesticides are 80% to 99% inert ingredients. In addition, in some cases EPA allows pesticide poisons to be manufactured using recycled hazardous wastes or to contain contaminates such as DDT or dioxins. Forty of the inert ingredients allowed by EPA in pesticide formulations are also classified by EPA as inerts of toxicological concern. This means they are: probably human carcinogens, known animal carcinogens, brain or nervous system toxins, capable of causing other chronic effects or adverse reproductive effects, or acutely toxic at concentrations of one part per million or less to some tested species. Methyl bromide is an extremely toxic fumigant that is easily inhaled or absorbed through the skin. EPA considers methyl bromide so dangerous that it permits only certified pest control applicators to use products which contain it as an active ingredient. However, EPA has also classified methyl bromide as aninert ingredient, meaning that the pesticide manufacturers may add it to other pesticide poisons without even testing it or even listing it on the registered label! Therefore, the real dangers of these poisons is not currently accessible. If you are chemically sensitive, we suggest you try Safe Solutions, Inc. food-grade diatomaceous earth, negative ion plates, termite predators, e.g., nematodes and/or mites, baits, antibiotics, salts, capsaicin, fans, enzymes, e.g., Safe Solutions, Inc. Enzyme Cleaner with Peppermint, dehumidifiers, rain gutters, proper grading, ventilation, moisture barriers, sand barriers and/or mechanical alteration, then if you still have any pockets of resistance the only natural chemical/pesticide we recommend that you use is called sodium borate; it is a naturally occurring material that has trace amounts of arsenic; TIM-BOR powder has no added inert ingredients; BORA-CARE liquid also contains ethylene glycol and water; IMPEL RODS are solid borate fungicide rods. In addition, we also recommend you use other non-toxic controls such as exclusion, mechanical alteration, temperature controls, biological controls, sanitation and other integrated pest management techniques. We are firmly committed to your safety and we will always attempt to help you permanently control your pest problems with the least amount of toxin possible! ALWAYS FOLLOW THE LABEL DIRECTIONS! There are 3 signal words (on any pesticide label) hat are used to indicate its danger or acute toxicity: SIGNAL WORD RELATIVE TOXICITY AMOUNT NEEDED TO KILL THE AVERAGE PERSON 1. Danger- Poison Highly toxic A taste to a teaspoonful 2. Warning moderately toxic A teaspoonful to a tablespoonful 3. Caution Low-order toxicity An ounce to more than a pint (comparatively free from danger) See also the LD50 Value Comparisons in Chapter 12. Note: The signal word for TIM-BOR, BORA-CARE and IMPEL RODS is “Caution”. There is no signal word for the use of predators (Dine-O-Mites) and/or negative ion plates such as purple plates or Earth Cards and/or salts or fans or Safe Solutions, Inc. Enzyme Cleaner with Peppermint or their food-grade DE, etc. because they are all food-grade or GRAS Pestisafes®. There are basically 2 types of registered pesticide poisons available: Restricted Use - For sale and use by licensed certified professional pest control operators and only to those under their direct supervision. General Use - For sales and use by anyone.