Integrated pest management in an urban community: a successful partnership for prevention.
Pesticides, applied in large quantities in urban communities to control cockroaches, pose potential threats to health, especially to children, who have proportionately greater exposures and unique, developmentally determined vulnerabilities. Integrated pest management (IPM) relies on nonchemical tools--cleaning of food residues, removal of potential nutrients, and sealing cracks and crevices. Least toxic pesticides are used sparingly. To evaluate IPM's effectiveness, the Mount Sinai Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center, in partnership with two community health centers in East Harlem, New York City (NY, USA), undertook a prospective intervention trial. Families (n = 131) enrolled when mothers came to the centers for prenatal care. Household cockroach infestation was measured by glue traps at baseline and 6 months afterward. The intervention group received individually tailored IPM education, repairs, least-toxic pest control application, and supplies, with biweekly pest monitoring for 2 months and monthly for 4 months. The control group, residing in East Harlem and demographically and socioeconomically similar to the intervention group, received an injury prevention intervention. The proportion of intervention households with cockroaches declined significantly after 6 months (from 80.5 to 39.0%). Control group levels were essentially unchanged (from 78.1 to 81.3%). The cost, including repairs, of individually tailored IPM was equal to or lower than traditional chemically based pest control. These findings demonstrate that individually tailored IPM can be successful and cost-effective in an urban community.
Brenner
Barbara L
BL
Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York 10029-6547, USA. barbara.brenner@mountsinai.org
Markowitz
Steven
S
Rivera
Maribel
M
Romero
Harry
H
Weeks
Matthew
M
Sanchez
Elizabeth
E
Deych
Elena
E
Garg
Anjali
A
Godbold
James
J
Wolff
Mary S
MS
Landrigan
Philip J
PJ
Berkowitz
Gertrud
G
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D003058:Cockroaches; D004777:Environment; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D007300:Insect Control / Q000379:methods*; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D009519:New York City; D010575:Pesticides; D014505:Urban Population
D010575:Pesticides