[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 67 (Friday, May 22, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E950]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL ALLERGY MONTH: FUTURE IMPACTS OF THE FOOD 
                         QUALITY PROTECTION ACT

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                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 21, 1998

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express growing concern that 
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's implementation of the Food 
Quality Protection Act may sharply reduce the number of pest control 
products used to eradicate cockroaches and other indoor pests.
  Principally, I am concerned that the loss of cockroach control 
products will exacerbate the already growing problem of asthma and 
allergies in inner cities, particularly among children. Sadly, no city 
has been harder hit by the asthma epidemic than New York. In fact, at 
least 10 percent of New York city school children suffer from asthma. 
However, the increasing asthma rate is not just a New York problem, but 
a national one. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the 
number of asthmatics have doubled over the last 20 years and more than 
one third of all asthmatics are children, making it the most common 
chronic disorder among that sub-population.
  The National Institutes of Health cites cockroaches as an important 
cause of asthma in allergic children. According to a landmark study 
published in the New England Journal of Medicine last spring, cockroach 
allergens are largely to blame for increased asthma rates among urban 
children, and children who are allergic to cockroaches are three times 
as likely to be hospitalized as other asthmatics. Some of the children 
participating in the study were from the Bronx and East Harlem.
  Thankfully, there are steps we can take to address the skyrocketing 
asthma rate and to lessen the impact of allergies. One way is more 
effective control of cockroaches. An editorial accompanying the study 
recommends the ``regular use of insecticides'' as one of the more 
effective means of controlling cockroaches. Since cockroaches regularly 
become resistant to pesticides, a wide array of pest control products 
is needed to effectively control infestations.
  Although heartened by Vice-President Gore's recent directive that 
E.P.A. ensure regulatory actions mandated by F.Q.P.A. are based on 
sound science and reasonable transition rules for agriculture, I urge 
E.P.A. not to forget the pest control needs of urban populations.
  I am concerned that F.Q.P.A. implementation may impact the 
availability of several pesticides critical for cockroach 
extermination.
  Mr. Speaker, May is Allergy Awareness Month. We should seize upon 
this window of opportunity to give this important issue the attention 
it deserves. I hope my colleagues representing other urban areas will 
join me in urging E.P.A. to keep inner-city residents, especially 
children, in mind when implementing F.Q.P.A.

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