EPA Recommendations on Bed Bugs - 11/11/2010

Top Ten Bed Bugs Tips
Updated: June 16, 2010

1.Make sure you really have bed bugs, not fleas or ticks or other insects
You can verify your insect on our bed bug web page or check with your local extension agent.

2.Don’t panic
Eliminating bed bugs is difficult, but it is not impossible. Don’t throw out all of your belongings; most of them can be treated and saved. Throwing out belongings is costly, may spread the infestation, and could be unnecessarily stressful.

3.Think through your treatment options -- Don’t immediately reach for the spray can
Be comprehensive in your approach. Integrated pest management techniques may reduce bed bug populations and limit pesticide exposure to you and your family. If pesticide treatment is needed, it is best to bring in a professional. There is help available to learn about integrated treatment options. (2 pp, 63k, About PDF)

4.Reduce the number of hiding places -- Clean up the clutter
A cluttered home provides more places for bed bugs to hide and makes locating and treating for them more difficult. If bed bugs are in your mattress, using a mattress/box spring encasements makes it more difficult them to get to you while you sleep. To be effective they must be left in place for a year. Be sure to buy a product that has been tested for bed bugs and is strong enough to last for the full year without tearing.

5.Frequently wash and heat-dry your bed linens
Wash bed spreads, and clothing that touches the floor to reduce bed bug populations. Bed bugs and their eggs can hide in laundry containers/hampers so clean them when you do the laundry.

6.Do-it-yourself freezing is not usually reliable for bed bug control
While freezing can effectively kill bed bugs, temperatures must remain extremely low for an extended period of time. Home freezers typically are not cold enough to kill bed bugs. Freezing temperatures outside may be used to kill bed bugs, but can take several days (at 0F) to almost a week (at 20F).

7.High temperatures can kill bed bugs
Raising the indoor temperature with the thermostat or space heaters won’t do the job, though. Space heaters must always be used with care, as they have the potential to cause fires and serious burns. Specialized equipment and very high temperatures are required to successfully heat treat a structure. Black plastic bags in the sun might work to kill bed bugs in luggage or small items, provided the contents become hot enough (approximately 110F for at least 3 hours).

8.Don’t pass your bed bugs on to others
Bed bugs are excellent hitchhikers. If you throw out a piece of furniture that is harboring bed bugs, take steps to destroy the item so that no one else adopts it (along with the bugs!).

9.Reduce populations to reduce bites
Thorough vacuuming reduces populations. Carefully vacuum rugs, floors, under beds, around bed legs, bed frames, and all cracks and crevices around the room. Thoroughly vacuum upholstered furniture. Change the bag after each use so the bed bugs can’t escape. Place the used bag in a tightly sealed plastic bag and in an outside garbage bin.

10.Turn to the professionals, if needed
Hiring an experienced, responsible pest control professional can increase the likelihood and the speed of success in eliminating bed bugs from your home. If you hire an expert, ensure it is company with a reputable history and ask them to use an IPM approach. (53 pp, 42mb, About PDF) Contact your State pesticide Agency for guidance about hiring professional pest control companies.




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Last updated on Monday, October 04, 2010

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Joint NEHA & NACCHO Letter to the White House

November 8, 2010
Rob Nabors, Acting Deputy Director
White House Office of Management and Budget


RE: FDA Retail Food Safety Initiative

Dear Mr. Nabors:

The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) join in urging the President to include in his FY2012 budget funding to support the Retail Food Safety Initiative announced October 22, 2010 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

FDA conducted a 10-year study of more than 800 retail food establishments to determine compliance with five key risk factors for foodborne illness in nine types of retail operations. These included schools, hospitals, and nursing homes, as well as markets and restaurants. This study provides the evidence to support a robust, science-based approach to food safety at the retail level, where food is handled, prepared, and stored prior to direct purchase by consumers and where a significant amount of preventable foodborne illness begins.

More than 3,000 state, local and tribal agencies have primary responsibility to regulate the more than one million food establishments in the United States. Successful regulation and enforcement at the retail level will reduce the enormous national costs of preventable foodborne illness, estimated at $152 billion annually, including medical care, death, disability, and lost productivity. The return on a federal investment in retail food safety will be measurable and high.

The FDA initiative includes increasing the presence of certified food protection managers in retail establishments, and funding and training local regulators to enhance local capacities for effective inspection and regulation. The need for these capacities is acute. Local health departments alone lost 15% of their workforce in 2008-2009, and further federal, state and local budget cuts that reduce local services to protect the public are continuing. Moreover, shortages of trained environmental health professionals competent to carry out effective retail regulation are widespread.

The presence of Certified Food Safety Managers in retail establishments is an important factor in achieving overall risk reduction in food service operations. It is not possible to attribute improvement in overall compliance with food safety standards to any single factor, due to the number of interdependent variables associated with any given food service operation. However, NACCHO and NEHA firmly believe that the comprehensive approach of FDA’s Retail Food Safety Initiative will significantly enhance the capacity of local regulatory programs to achieve compliance with improved food safety standards, thereby reducing the incidence of foodborne illness. We strongly urge that FDA receive adequate resources to implement this initiative, which recognizes the critical importance of the food safety work that occurs locally to protect the nation’s consumers.

NACCHO is the national organization representing the nation’s 2800 local health departments. These city, county, metropolitan, and tribal agencies work every day to protect the health of their communities. NEHA is the national organization representing environmental health professionals practicing in public and private settings and academic institutions. Food safety and food protection is a primary focus of a majority of NEHA’s membership.

Sincerely,
___________________________
Robert M. Pestronk
Executive Director
National Association of County and City Health Officials

Nelson Fabian
Executive Director & CEO
National Environmental Health Association

cc: Laurie Mignone

From our e-Learning site - New Courses! 11/03/2010

We are pleased to announce that the following EPA sponsored workshops are now available on the NEHA e-Learning website.

Radon Resistant New Construction Workshop - recorded in Washington DC in March, 2010
Region 8 Stakeholders Meeting – recorded in Denver, CO April, 2010
To View the Programs

Go to: www.nehacert.org
Select EPA Sponsored Programs
If you are a NEHA member or you have previously registered for the CDC sponsored Workshops – log in with the Username and Password provided to you.
If you do not have a Username and Password, click on “Register Here” just above the course titles – you will be asked to complete a form and a Username and Password will be immediately emailed to you – then log in with the Username and Password provided to you
Select either program
Scroll down the topics and pick one to view
Click play button
Sit back and enjoy.
To Obtain CE Credits:

After viewing the program, complete the Course Evaluation
Click on Course Certificate.
Please note, these programs are not approved for CE for radon professionals. That branch of the program required separate approvals and a much more rigorous set of quizzes. We have written the 100 plus quiz questions for the RRNC program for the NEHA NRPP version on our website (www.certi.us) and have gone through the rigorous process of getting the package of video, quizzes and exercises approved for the NEHA-NRPP radon credential

REHS/RS Review Exam -It is Now Available! 11/01/2010

REHS Online Exam Review

The Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) online exam review is designed to help you prepare for the REHS/RS credential. With over 1000 questions based on 15 disciplines of the environmental health profession covered with the exam, this assessment will help you understand the depth of knowledge expected and the nature of the exam questions. Once the course is purchased, you may revisit the quizzes and continue preparing for up to six months. The exam will randomly select questions in each category. Incorrect answers will be scored as such, but you will be shown what the correct response should have been. Click here to go to the course

The exam review is priced at $179 for members, $249 for non-members.

Sections covered are

• Administration
• Air Pollution and Noise Control
• Control of Communicable and Noninfectious Diseases
• Environmental Engineering, Planning, and Impact Analysis
• Food Protection
• Hazardous Waste Management
• Radiation Uses and Protection
• Recreation Areas and Temporary Residences
• Solid Waste Management
• The Residential and Institutional Environment
• Vector and Weed Control and Pesticide Use
• Wastewater Treatment and Disposal
• Water Supply

For more information email rbaker@neha.org, or call 303-756-9090 ext.306