(New York, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and The Virgin Islands' Department of Planning and Natural Resources will host a conference on Wednesday, November 18, at the Charles W. Turnbull Regional Library on St. Thomas to educate hotel owners, hospitality workers, pesticide applicators, business operators and the general public on how they can reduce the use of pesticides. The conference will feature pest control experts who will share ways to address pests with fewer or less toxic chemicals, as well as an approach called Integrated Pest Management.

"Pesticides can be extremely toxic to people, and they should be used with extreme caution," said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. "By using integrated pest management practices, we can reduce the amount of pesticides in the environment- protecting people from long and short-term illnesses."

"DPNR is proud to host this conference which will allow our local population to take a proactive approach to pest management by eliminating those environmental factors that help pests thrive and to when necessary, utilize more environmental friendly products," said DPNR Commissioner Dawn L. Henry, Esq.,

Integrated Pest Management practices help prevent pests from becoming a threat by taking action to address the underlying causes that enable pests to thrive. These actions, such as repairing water leaks, adding weather stripping to windows, and installing door sweeps, reduce pesticide use and treatment costs while reducing water and energy costs, as well. The IPM approach is a stark contrast to conventional pest management in which an exterminator uses pesticides, potentially exposing people to harmful chemicals, with little emphasis on removing the underlying conditions that make certain areas inviting to pests.

Some pesticides have been linked to various forms of illnesses in people, ranging from skin and eye irritation, to neurological damage and cancer. Some pesticides may also affect the hormone or endocrine systems.

To attend the Integrated Pest Management Conference, please RSVP at:

http://epa-r2-ipm.eventbrite.com

Event Details:
Integrated Pest Management Conference

Time:
November 18, 2015
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Location:
Charles W. Turnbull Regional Library
4607 Estate Tutu
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands 00802

For more information on this conference, please email or call Beth Soltani at soltani.beth@epa.gov or 212-637-5038.

For more information on Integrated Pest Management, visit: http://www2.epa.gov/safepestcontrol.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and Facebook at http://facebook.com/eparegion2.


15-090