Summary of the Key Points
Recently, it was exposed that a disinfection company in Xiamen used dichlorvos to clean dozens of chain restaurants, including Green Tea and Xianqi Banbu Dian, sparking a revelation of the chaos in the "Pest Control (PCO)" industry: unscrupulous companies use dichlorvos in violation of regulations to cut costs and achieve immediate results. The industry has extremely low barriers to entry (you can start a company with just a registration), leading to fierce price competition. Restaurants, in pursuit of lower costs and to merely meet inspection requirements, become accomplices in this chaos, with the ultimate burden falling on consumers.
Why Has Dichlorvos Become the “Secret Weapon” of Unscrupulous Disinfection Companies?
Dichlorvos is originally an agricultural pesticide, and its use indoors is strictly prohibited in many places. Unscrupulous companies use it secretly for three reasons:
1. Immediate and Long-lasting Effect: Regular pesticides (such as pyrethroids) only last for up to 48 hours, while dichlorvos residues can last for half a month. Since indoor pests have no resistance to dichlorvos, a single application can keep the restaurant pest-free for a long time, giving customers the impression of excellent service.
2. Strong Concealment: Improved versions of dichlorvos are almost odorless, making it difficult for customers to detect.
3. Exorbitantly Low Cost: A bottle of dichlorvos costs just a few yuan, and it only costs 3-5 yuan to disinfect a 150-200 square meter restaurant. In contrast, regular pesticides cost nearly 100 yuan per application, a difference of over 20 times.
How Low Are the Barriers to Entering the Disinfection Industry?
Entering this industry is virtually unobstructed:
- Company Qualifications: A business license with "Pest Control" as one of its services is sufficient; there are no mandatory national qualifications, except when working on large projects like schools or hospitals, where industry certification may be required.
- Employee Qualifications: There is no mandatory requirement for employees to have official certifications; only “skill-level” assessments are required, which are relatively easy to pass (theory tests and practical simulations). Many people switch from other industries (such as housekeeping or grease cleaning) and start offering disinfection services after purchasing the necessary chemicals online.
- Disorderly Source of Chemicals: Disinfection chemicals are easily available online, with many sellers lacking the necessary licenses.
Restaurants, in Search of Cheap Solutions, Become Accomplices to the Chaos
Many restaurants are also partly responsible for the situation:
1. Cutting Budgets: The cost of disinfection used to be around 500 yuan; now, some services are offered for 200-300 yuan. To save money, restaurants choose unscrupulous companies, forcing legitimate ones to either lose money or use cheaper, substandard chemicals.
2. Perfunctory Inspections: Some hotels simply require a superficial disinfection and are willing to pay less, leading disinfection companies to use banned or substandard products.
3. Lax Internal Oversight: Restaurants rarely verify the qualifications of disinfection companies or the chemicals used, as long as there are no visible pests on the surface.
How Can Consumers Avoid Being Victimized?
Here are some steps consumers can take:
1. Be Skeptical of Claims of Long-lasting Protection: If a disinfection company claims that a single application will last a year, be cautious—chances are high they are using a strong, potentially harmful chemical like dichlorvos.
2. Choose Legitimate Companies: Look for companies with industry certifications and that transparently list the chemicals they use (legitimate disinfectants usually include pyrethroids or fipronil).
3. Pay Attention to the Environment: If you frequently see pests or notice unusual odors in a restaurant, it may indicate poor disinfection, and you should avoid visiting that place again.
How Can the Industry Improve?
Reversing this chaos requires efforts from both regulators and businesses:
- Regulatory Measures: Clearly define the list of banned chemicals for indoor disinfection, increase inspections, and impose severe penalties on violators.
- Business Practices: Consumers should not rely solely on price when choosing disinfection services; instead, they should choose legitimate companies and regularly verify the quality of the disinfection and the chemicals used, putting consumers’ health first.
Only by ensuring that legitimate companies can make a profit and unscrupulous ones are unable to operate will the industry return to a more sustainable and reliable state.