(a)  On and after July 1, 2003, no application of pesticide may be made by any person other than a certified or licensed commercial applicator as defined in § 23-25-4 in any building or on the grounds of any pre-school, child day care center, group/family day care home or family day care home, during regular business hours. No child enrolled at such center or home may enter an area where pesticides have been applied until it is safe to do so according to the provisions on the pesticide label. For purposes of this section, emergency shall mean a sudden need to mitigate or eliminate a pest which threatens the health or safety of a student or staff member. This section shall not apply to the use of germicides, disinfectants, sanitizers, deodorizers, antimicrobal agents, insecticidal gels, non-volatile insect or rodent bait in a tamper resistant container, insect repellants, insecticidal disks, or the application of a pesticide classified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as an exempt material under 40 C.F.R. part 152.25.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 23-25-38

  • Active ingredient: means any ingredient which will prevent, destroy, repel, control, or mitigate pests, or which will act as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-25-4
  • Commercial applicator: means any person (whether or not that person is a private applicator with respect to some uses), including employees of any federal, state, county or municipal agency, department, office, division, section, bureau, board, or commission, who applies or supervises the application of any pesticide for any purpose or on any property other than as provided by the definition of "private applicator". See Rhode Island General Laws 23-25-4
  • EPA: means the United States Environmental Protection Agency. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-25-4
  • Insect: means any of the numerous small invertebrate animals generally having the body more or less obviously segmented, for the most part belonging to the class insecta, comprising six (6) legged, usually winged forms, as for example, moths, beetles, bugs, bees, flies, and their immature stages, and to other allied classes of anthropods whose members are wingless and usually have more than six (6) legs, as for example, spiders, mites, ticks, centipedes, and wood lice. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-25-4
  • Label: means the written, printed, or graphic matter on, or attached to, the pesticide or device or any of its containers or wrappers. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-25-4
  • Person: means any individual, partnership, association, fiduciary, corporation, governmental entity, or any organized group of persons whether incorporated or not. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-25-4
  • Pest: means :

    (i)  Any insect, rodent, nematode, fungus, or weed; and

    (ii)  Any other form of terrestrial or aquatic plant or animal life or virus, bacteria, or other micro-organism (except viruses, bacteria, or other micro-organisms on or in living humans or other living animals) which the director declares to be a pest under § 23-25-9(a)(1). See Rhode Island General Laws 23-25-4

  • Pesticide: means :

    (i)  Any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest; and

    (ii)  Any substance or mixture of substances intended for use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-25-4

  • United States: include the several states and the territories of the United States. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-8

(b)  On and after July 1, 2002, notice of any pesticide application at any such center or home shall be given, by any means practicable, to the parents or guardians of any child enrolled at the center or home not later than twenty-four (24) hours before the application. The notice shall include: (1) the common or trade name and the name of the active ingredient; (2) the EPA registration number as listed on the pesticide label; (3) the target pest; (4) the exact location of the application on the property; (5) the date of the application; and (6) the name of the pre-school or child care center owner/operator or their designee.

History of Section.
P.L. 2001, ch. 293, § 1; P.L. 2002, ch. 418, § 1.