States Sue HUD Over Use of Pesticide

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ALBANY, N.Y. -- The attorneys general of five states and the U.S. Virgin Islands filed a federal lawsuit Thursday to try to force the government to reduce pesticide use in public housing projects.

The suit contends that the Department of Housing and Urban Development is ignoring a 1996 law that directed federal agencies to use non-chemical pest-fighting techniques and only to employ pesticides as a last resort to kill insects and rodents.
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"Pesticides are poisons that can damage people's health," New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said. "There is a danger that infants and children will be harmed as a result of pesticide exposure."

Non-chemical techniques preferred by the attorneys general include improving sanitary conditions in housing facilities, fixing leaking pipes, and plugging holes in walls and doors.
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HUD spokeswoman Donna M. White said that the 1996 federal law requires HUD and other federal agencies to "promote" such methods, not to require their use.

"We're complying with the law," she said. ...

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-hud-pesticide-use,0,243079.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

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1. More from today's NYT

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No one is more vulnerable than children, scientists say, a point emphasized by research being conducted by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. In a study published in March, researchers found that poor mothers in both public and private housing in East Harlem who had been exposed to pesticides delivered babies with smaller heads - a condition that may affect a child's cognitive development, said Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, chairman of the department of community and preventive medicine.
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The alternative technique, integrated pest management, advocates performing basic repair work and improving sanitary conditions, like fixing leaking pipes, caulking holes in walls and adding doors and traps. One recent study conducted by Mount Sinai found that homes that began such management techniques reported pesticides down 90 percent and roaches down 50 percent.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/10/nyregion/10pesticide.html