This was among the concerns raised by the participants in the commercial certified pesticide safety and education training held last week at the Saipan Grand Hotel.
The training gives structural — as distinct from agricultural —pesticide applicators the chance to renew or apply for a new license.
Twenty-one applicators from different commercial pesticide companies attended the three-day certification training.
Allen R. Delos Santos of No Ka Oi said they learned a lot about the biology of insects, pest management, contamination risk and DEQ regulations.
Art Mamaril, facility supervisor of Rome Research Corporation, said there were instances when staff sent to DEQ could hardly complete the application forms for pre- and post-construction permits because they didn’t fully understand what were being asked from them.
This, he said, usually results in the disapproval of the application or a delay in the process, which is costly for these companies.
Currently, the approval of pre- and post-construction permits takes one month.
Another No Ka Oi employee, who requested anonymity, said applications are denied most of the time due to ambiguities regarding some entries in the application form.
The certification training discussed the principles of pest control, dealing with structural pests like cockroaches, termites and rats; soil study and personnel protective measures, according to Alejandro Badilles, integrated pesticide management coordinator of Northern Marianas College-Cooperative Research, Extension and Education Services.
