Four States Enact Bedbug Legislation

EMSL Analytical offers testing services for bedbugs utilizing advanced PCR techniques.

Cinnaminson, NJ

This spring, Arizona joined Maine, New York and Illinois as the first states to have signed into law legislation dealing with the bedbug invasion. Arizona’s Governor Jan Brewer signed into law new legislation that assigns responsibilities to landlords and tenants in multi-family housing to deal with the pesky blood sucking critters.

The new law in Arizona requires landlords to provide tenants with educational material on bedbugs and prohibits them from purposefully leasing an infested unit. Tenants are also required to notify their landlord of a bedbug infestation and it prohibits them from purposefully bringing bedbug infested materials into a unit.

Bedbugs have made national headlines recently as they have been found in everything from fancy hotels to apartment buildings and individual homes across the nation. Bedbugs are from the Cimicidae family of insects. They feed exclusively on the blood of warm-blooded animals, including humans, typically while they sleep. Adult bedbugs grow to a size of 4 to 5 millimeters. Their small size can make them difficult to find and identify.

EMSL Analytical, one of the nation’s premier environmental testing laboratories, has a PCR technique to identify bedbugs and their remains. “The hearty parasites can survive a wide range of temperatures and atmospheric conditions which has helped them in their ability to spread nationwide,” reported Joe Frasca, Senior Vice President, Marketing at EMSL Analytical. “Due to the size and nature of bedbugs, identifying them can be a real challenge. Utilizing advanced PCR technologies that look for DNA markers specific to bedbugs has changed all of this,” he continued.

In addition to the unpleasant nature of bedbugs, just last month scientists released a report that appears to indicate that Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is now being found on some bedbugs. The research was conducted after doctors at a Canadian hospital noticed an increase in both bedbugs and MRSA infections.

To learn more about testing for bedbugs, MRSA or other environmental concerns please visit www.EMSL.com, call (800) 220-3675 or email info@EMSL.com.

About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical is a nationally recognized and locally focused provider of environmental and materials testing services and products to professionals and the general public. The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies.

Contact Information

Joe Frasca

Senior Vice President, Marketing

EMSL Analytical, Inc.

Contact via E-mail