Why Change Now?
Federal regulatory agencies are showing signs of shifting away from decisions grounded in transparent scientific evaluation and toward policies promoted by the pesticide industry that ease restrictions on toxic chemicals in pesticides and put all life at increased risk. This recent Washington Post article shows clearly that the industry is now at the helm of the EPA, which regulates pesticides. For example, in April 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized a new insecticide strategy that industry groups praised because it reduced regulatory safeguards. Then, in August 2025, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission publicly walked back earlier proposals for action on pesticides after intense lobbying from chemical and agricultural interests, ultimately recommending that the EPA and industry work to reassure the public about pesticide review processes rather than strengthen restrictions, despite documented concerns about pesticides, and especially despite increasing EPA approval of PFAS-pesticides without scientific review as had been in place previously. Pest control vendors rely on EPA’s approved pesticides- this can no longer be what facilities and vendors rely on, given that current federal oversight is prioritizing industry input over precautionary science, leaving serious gaps in public health protection..
This trend has direct implications for healthcare facilities committed to patient, staff, and visitor safety. At the federal level, regulatory processes that once aimed to limit harmful exposures are being influenced by political and industry pressures, which will result in weaker protections against chemicals with known links to serious health outcomes. In this context, healthcare institutions can no longer assume that compliance with minimum regulatory standards ensures safety. We are here to help, and our services are pro bono. Let us help you. Our project is funded by Maryland foundations that are investors in health care facilities in our region and support our efforts to help you implement effective pest management based on science-based information and help you adopt safer alternatives when they are available to reduce reliance on toxic chemicals, given that regulatory transparency and public health prioritization at the federal level are increasingly uncertain. This approach helps reinforce your facility’s commitment to safeguarding health through proactive risk reduction rather than reactive compliance.
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