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Protect IAQ While Managing Pests

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RELATED CONTENT:

IAQ , pesticides , chemicals , integrated pest management .

As winter temperatures start moderating into spring, the creepy crawlies and other pests might start making their presence more known, bringing the issue of how to deal with them without negatively impacting indoor air quality with noxious fumes and toxic chemicals.

One strategy to employ is to perform pesticide activities during unoccupied hours. It's better to apply chemicals on weekends or holidays and air our the facility as much as possible with open windows or by operating the HVAC system to dilute irritants in the air.

Better still, establish an integrated pest management program. You may be able to reduce the pesticide application rate at your facility by instituting integrated pest management.

This approach to pest management features minimum pesticide application rates coupled with the use of traps, reduction of pest habitats — for example, by removing debris, improving sanitation, sealing cracks and other points of entry and controlling sources of moisture.

But as using chemicals and pesticides is at times unavoidable, be sure to establish a written schedule, and keep a compliance history of when, how and how much various chemicals and pesticides were applied to specific areas of the facility. This will help create a paper trail should an IAQ problem arise.