Oh Rats! Of Mice and Men

We all know that rodents are a problem in not only Harlem, but all over New York City. The image of Templeton from Charlotte’s Web rolling around in piles of wasted food, belly extended and round, is a daily reality for the fat and happy rats that live in New York. They have no fear of humans and will at times even attack anyone bold enough (or stupid enough) to come too close.

Considering the health issues that are directly connected to mice and rats, New Yorkers are always looking for ways to get rid of the little pests. Everything from old fashion snap traps to bags of poison, they seem to have developed an immunity to it all — smart bastids!

Now, to make it even more difficult to fight the furry filth mongers, the EPA has stepped in to change the guidelines regarding the sale of pesticides. In all fairness, the EPA was asked to step in due to the excessive number of children (particularly children of color) and animals being accidentally poisoned as a result of coming into contact with the pesticides.

The city has an official rat task force whose job it is to help eliminate the types of breeding conditions that cause the rat population in New York to breed relentlessly.  The quick solution that everyone is seeking is to simply exterminate the little twits.

CNN gives us the full lowdown after the jump. For help with rats in your neighborhood call 311.

In 1998, the EPA established two standards for rat poison. The agency required manufacturers to include an ingredient that made the poison taste bitter and use an indicator dye that would make the ingestion of pesticides more recognizable.

But regulations were revoked in 2001 after the agency came to a mutual agreement with manufacturers to rescind the requirements.

“We determined that the dye wasn’t effective in keeping children from being accidentally exposed and the bittering agent actually resulted in a loss of efficiency in controlling rodents,” said Steven Bradbury, director of the agency’s Division of Special Review and Re-registration.

“In our decision Thursday, we felt that we needed an approach that would stop children coming in contact with the pesticides in the first place. That ultimately led to the implementation of bait stations,” Bradbury said.

The decision to revoke the requirements led the West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc. and the Natural Resource Defense Council to file a lawsuit three years later.

Both organizations saw the retraction as a way to make it easy for consumers to purchase unsafe rodenticides over the counter. According to the West Harlem group, inner-city housing and park departments such as the New York City Housing Authority could continue laying rat baits in public areas that were easily accessible to children.

“Studies show that the number of poisonings in minority children is much higher than others,” said Aaron Colangelo, a staff attorney at the Natural Resource Defense Council. “Not only do we have an environmental health issue, but an environmental justice issue as well.”

New York State Health Department studies showed that 57 percent of children hospitalized for rat poisoning were black and 26 percent were Latino.

The EPA said it is working to reduce those numbers in upcoming years with regulations like the ones it introduced this week.

“We were frustrated that the EPA dragged their feet for three years before finally taking some productive steps,” said Colangelo. “But, from our perspective, they are finally starting to do what needs to be done in order to protect children.”

After June 4, rat poison manufacturers will have 90 days to comply with the EPA’s guidelines. They will then have the opportunity to design new bait stations and formulas for their poisons.

All new products should be registered and certified by June 2011.

-Source: CNN