RIYADH: Mousaied S. Shieshakly, owner of Masa Establishment for Pest Extermination Services, has urged government agencies to tighten regulations to minimize the hazards posed by pesticides to humans, starting with stricter certification of licenses for pest control companies and pesticide vendors.
Shieshakly, who spoke to Arab News recently, also called for the setting up of a national body of pest control companies to regulate the industry. He said there was an urgent need to train technicians and to control the sale of pesticides.
“Fumigation, which may seem so simple a task, actually involves specialization, certification, and appropriate skills and expertise,” he said. “It is only through the thorough knowledge of the biology of pests, population dynamics, ecology and life requirements that we can devise an effective program for their control.”
Shieshakly said even many home-use pesticides require specialized handlers.
“It is high time to formulate pesticide regulations, especially about their use and restricted sale in the Kingdom,” said Shieshakly, adding that the government must do more to ensure pest controllers are not using restricted-use chemicals in homes. There are about 300 pest control companies currently operating in Saudi Arabia.
Under no circumstances should a fumigant like aluminum phosphide be used in the home, neither by residents nor professionals. Masa has been using Quickphos — one of many brands of phosphide pesticides — for more than a decade in grain silos across the Kingdom. Phosphine gas is considered a beneficial pesticide in the farming and grain processing sectors because although it is very dangerous it leaves no residue on foodstuffs.
Consumers should only be purchasing conventional pesticides, such as the ones sold in supermarkets under brand names such as Raid and Pif-Paf, according to Shieshakly. Residents and property managers should be checking the chemicals used by professional pest control companies they hire to ensure they are not using aluminum phosphide, he said.
