Zika and the insecticides being used to address the threat of spread, are of major concern for us at Toxic Free NC. The organophosphate insecticide widely used in South Florida and responsible for the recent bee kill in South Carolina is also toxic to humans. For North Carolina, as with South Carolina, with no insect-born contraction of the disease, chemical prevention needs to be weighed against the threats that they pose. Comprehensive mosquito population reduction is needed to ensure both human and environmental health in our state.

Here’s a couple of things to help curb concerns:

• The cases ofZikain humans in North Carolina are all from people who contracted the virus while traveling, no mosquito has been found to carry in NC as of this writing.
• The species of mosquito that carriesZika, Aedes Egypti, is not prevalent in NC.(Though that could be because researchers have been focused on other species).

That said, the CDC does list Charlotte as one of two NC cities that are of concern, especially if more common mosquito species become carriers.

This is a complex issue and we hope that people weigh their options on how to address it by exploring options such as Integrated Vector Control (IVC). For more depth, click here to check out PAN’s blog post. Given the low threat level in NC, non-chemical interventions are needed in order to ensure continued reduction in the overall mosquito population. With mosquito management practices in place, we can make North Carolina highly unwelcoming for Zika!

We will be monitoring both state and federal policy on this issue, such as the SMASH act currently under review in congressional subcommittee, to make sure decision makers are approaching this issue with the comprehensive care needed for effective human and environmental health protection. 

Mosquito Management and other household alternatives 

Common mosquito breeding sites to watch for and what can be done to prevent mosquito breeding grounds and control mosquito problem:

• Clean roof gutters and downspouts
• Do not over-irrigate lawns and fields
• Discard old tires in approved disposal sites or store them inside
• Empty outdoor containers that might collect water regularly or store indoors
• Repair leaky plumbing and outside faucets
• Screen rain barrels and openings to water tanks — seal them off from mosquitoes
• Keep grass cut and bushes trimmed
• Remove leaf piles frequently
• Reduce the amount of English Ivy
• Empty, clean and refill birdbaths twice weekly and small wading pools weekly
• Change water and scrub vases holding flowers or cuttings twice each week, or cuttings in sand
• Drain outlets from air conditioners
• Connect wastewater drains to approved sewage disposal systems
• Store wheelbarrows, carts, canoes and boats upside-down
• Stock ornamental ponds with fish that eat mosquito larvae
• Fill holes in trees with sand or mortar

Insect Repellents:

In general our recommendations for using any insect repellent are:

• Choose oils or lotions rather than sprays, which produce fine particles that are easily inhaled.

• Do not apply repellents to broken skin.

• When food is being served nearby, be sure to stay well away from preparation and serving areas while applying repellents.

• Wash your hands immediately after applying insect repellents.

• Do not allow children to apply their own repellent, and do not apply repellents containing DEET or other pesticides directly to children’s skin. If you use such products, they can be applied to clothing instead.*

• Do not use sunscreen/repellent combinations. Sunscreen needs to be reapplied more often than repellents, so the combination products can result in overexposure to pesticides.

• Wash off all repellent from skin and clothing immediately after coming indoors.

*Citronella can be applied directly to the skin and is competitive with DEET on efficacy. DEET is a neurotoxin so, should you decide to go that route, just be cognizant of where and how much is applied.

Toxic Free NC traveled to Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, and Pender counties to deliver our IPM: Plan and Policy training. Over 150 child care providers attended the trainings and were provided with information and tools to ensure the safest pest management at their child care facility. Many have begun the certification process, we’d like to highlight The Puddle Jumpers, Pat’s Toyland Preschool, and  Rhonda’s Precious Gems, for completing the certification this month and encourage parents and providers to move their center to join the movement!

Program Manager, Dylan Williams (bottom right) and attendees in Whiteville go over the importance of protecting children and staff at child care centers from the exposure to pesticides. (Photo Credit: Wallyce Todd)

A huge thank you to everyone who was able to attend a training despite the busy life of child care and early childhood development. We look forward to helping your center be among the safest and healthiest in the state!

We’d also like to thank the Smart Starts of Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover and Pender counties for their active participation and support of this important work.  Their resources and connections in the community are the reason we were able to turn out as many folks as we did for this first round of trainings. Thank you!

Toxic Free NC in the news…

Toxic Free NC was recently featured on WECT in Wilmington while conducting IPM trainings in multiple counties in the Southeast.Check out Toxic Free NC’s Program Manager, Dylan Williams, discussing the benefits of IPM in child care facilities and what we can do to get pesticides out of the places where children live, learn, and play.

Chemical Companies Consolidate

Earlier this month, Chinese, state-run chemical company ChemChina agreed to buy Swiss pesticide and seed giant, Syngenta, for $43 million making it China’s largest outbound acquisition ever.  Given the size of the merger and the other recent consolidations within the agricultural industry, there are some serious questions that must be addressed in regards to how this will affect the global food supply trade.  Click here to read Toxic Free NC’s analysis of how this merger will affect North Carolina’s grower, farmworkers, and consumers.

Meeting with Senator Burr to get labeling on toxic products

(L to R: Beth Messersmith (MomsRising); Mateland Mayes (owner, My Sisters’ Natural); Gath Regan (Deputy Director of Economic Development with Senator Burr’s office; Preston Peck (Toxic Free NC)

Toxic Free NC’s Policy Advocate, Preston Peck, NC MomsRising’s Beth Messersmith, and Mateland Mayes, owner of My Sisters’ Natural, met with Garth Regan from Senator’s Richard Burr’s office to discuss the Senator’s leadership on the Personal Care Products Safety Act (S.1014).  This act would require that personal care products be labeled with their ingredients and regulated through the Food and Drug Administration.  It has been over 75 years since there was any legislation passed regarding ingredients in personal care products, and since then, many of the products have been found to contain toxic ingredients such as lead in lipstick.  We look forward to continuing to work with Senator Burr’s office as he provides leadership in the U.S. Senate to move this issue forward.

Thanks for your feedback on our website!

We received some extremely helpful responses about how we can effectively use our website to get information out about reducing toxics in North Carolina.  Thank you to all of those that chose to fill out our survey and congratulations to Mario Sugus who was randomly selected from the respondents to receive some Toxic Free NC swag and Burt’s Bees bath products!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2016! As we move forward together with our work to transition North Carolina to a toxic free society, we want to take a moment and thank everyone that generously chose to support us with their end-of-year contributions.  Together, we raised tens of thousands of dollars to support our work to eliminate pesticides and other toxics from our bodies and our environment.  A huge thank you from the Toxic Free NC team! We look forward to working with you towards our shared goal of a toxic-free North Carolina.

Interns Needed!

Are you, or do you know of, an undergrad student that is looking for a PAID Summer internship?  Toxic Free NC is working with the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation to provide an 8-week paid summer internship in public policy.  Click here to view the details, but hurry as applications are due Tuesday, February 2 by Noon.

We Need Your Input on Our New Website!

Now that our new website has launched, we need input from the community on how we can make it an effective and useful tool. Please take a few minutes to check out our website and fill out this brief survey with your thoughts! Also, feel free to email us you thoughts and suggestions to info@toxicfreenc.org. Participants will be automatically entered to win some Toxic Free NC swag and some Burt’s Bees bath products! Thanks in advance for your input!

Policy Update

The NC Pesticide Board Meeting was earlier this month and you can read Toxic Free NC’s full notes from the meeting on our new website.  Some of the main topics covered during the meeting were a request for aerial spray height limitation exemption for a pheromone used to treat the Gypsy Moth; a Worker Protection Standards update from the NC Department of Agriculture; two request for funding from the Pesticide Environmental Trust Fund; and a presentation from Toxic Free NC’s Policy Advocate, Preston Peck, on the effects of neonicotinoids on North Carolina’s Blue Crab.  We will maintain a presence at the Board meetings and continue to request to be on the agenda to let the Board know that there are many topics of concern to our supporters and we are there to be the voice of human and environmental health in NC!

IPM in child care, coming soon to the Southeast!

Toxic Free NC will be visiting the Smart Starts of Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Pender, and New Hanover counties to train child care centers on pesticide safety and least-toxic Integrated Pest Management practices. The training includes a workshop on how to become IPM certified through Toxic Free NC and ensure common-sense pest management is practiced at your center!  Click here for more details!

[ Not in our current target area, but interested in participating? Both Parents/Guardians and Center Directors can contact Dylan Williams: Dylan@toxicfreenc.org for more information ]

Toxic Free NC Turns 30!

Toxic Free NC has fought pesticide pollution since 1986 and this year marks the 30^th year that we have stayed true to that fight.  We have won several victories along they way including, forcing the NC Pesticide Board to create an interagency task-force to study groundwater contamination by pesticides, increased buffer zones for aerial pesticide spraying, increased protections for farmworkers through the revised Worker Protection Standards, and increase protection for pollinators by pressuring corporations, like Bayer CropScience, to act responsibly.  As long as there are pesticides and other toxics in our homes and environments we will continue to watchdog regulatory bodies, advocate for policies that put human and environmental health first, and intentionally work to be a more inclusive and equitable organization that pushes back against environmental injustices.  Please stay tuned for more events throughout 2016 as we celebrate the last 30 years while preparing for the next 30 years!