More improvements at CSPA: the Association announces a variety of moves intended to further strengthen CSPA.

IT'S BEEN MORE THAN a year since the Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA) changed its name, added a division (air care) and hired a new president. But leaders of the group insist that more changes are to come as the association tailors its role to fit the needs of the industry it serves. Ernest Bernaducci, Ph.D, chairman of the group and CSPA president Christopher Catheart detailed the latest efforts the association has made during the CSPA mid-year meeting which was held May 7-10 in Chicago.

"We have a thousand different projects to talk about," insisted Dr. Bernaducci in his opening comments at the general membership breakfast. He ticked off several of the most important including expansion of the board, a move to new headquarters in Washington D.C., incorporation of the Alliance for Consumer Education (ACE) and CAPCO and reorganization of the CSPA staff to better" serve its membership. "The association fits the business of 2002," he said.

Dr. Bernaducci also urged members to take advantage of the unique opportunities that are available to them at Tradeworx, the association's trade show that is held concurrently with the mid-year meeting. He told the audience Tradeworx is the perfect vehicle for them to interact with suppliers and conduct business-to-business interactions that are so important to promoting new ideas in product development.

In other news, both Dr. Bernaducei and Mr. Cathcart urged CSPA members to support Product Care, the association's vehicle to communicate the industry's identity to consumers, regulators and others. In fact, just a day before his presentation, Dr. Bernaducci received a letter from Target's vice president of government affairs, praising the association's Product Care efforts. Although the number of companies that have signed on to Product Care has doubled since the CSPA annual meeting in December, Dr. Bernaducci continued to urge more members to get involved.

New Technology

Mr. Cathcart filled membership in on how new technology is enabling CSPA to reach out to membership as never before. In recent months, the association has launched a new website (www.cspa.org), made its Executive Newswatch newsletter available through e-mail and even created a new website, www.bugsbugsbugs.com to help consumers, educators and schoolchildren understand the benefits of using pesticide products and ultimately the site is expected to enhance the image of the industry.

In addition, CSPA has made its technical publications available in CD format and created new tracking tools to help its membership track legislative bills that could have an impact on the industry. Finally, CSPA is introducing a DEET newsdesk to keep a careful eye on how this important insect repellent is reported in the media.

Yet, even as it expands its presence on the internet and through new media, Mr. Cathcart pointed out that the association is also reaching out to other associations that share common views on important issues. For example, CSPA recently formed the Automotive Specialty Products Alliance (ASPA/with other trade groups. At the same time, CSPA is aggressively moving forward with its product ingredient review, having formed 15 joint ventures, created a CAQ laboratory accreditation program and launched a new education campaign.

Finally, Mr. Cathcart told CSPA membership that the association remains focused on its primary goal as a public policy advocate. "You've been well represented on Capitol Hill and at the state level."

The Economy and Politics

Following the remarks of Dr. Bernaducci and Mr. Cathcart, Kathleen Cooper, a key member of the President's Council on Economic Advisors, told the audience that the U.S. economy "is still a bit of a mixed bag." On the one hand, the country seems to be out of a recession as first quarter growth rose 5.8%, consumer spending remained strong and government spending, particularly for defense, remained strong too. On the other hand, business investment shrank in the first quarter and the trade deficit widened.

Going forward, Dr. Cooper said she expects the U.S. economy to continue to grow in 2002, "but not at an annual rate of 5.8%!" Moreover, inflation (with the exception of energy) is expected to remain tame and productivity to remain strong. The biggest concern, she said, comes in the labor markets, where unemployment has reached 6%. Moreover, recovery in business spending is not widespread and she pointed out that the recession was driven by business spending and it will need to pick up in order far the economy to sustain growth.

Dr. Cooper also supported several of the Admistration's stimulus efforts such as tax relief and budget deficits. She noted that several groups, including the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) predict three years of budget deficits as a result of the economic downturn and the effects of the terroristic attacks in the U.S. However, the government should begin to run a surplus again in a few years.

Gore for President?

Political commentator Charlie Cook said the upcoming elections in the House of Representatives and Senate are unique for a couple of reasons. First, everything is extremely close. The democrats hold a slim margin in the Senate, while the Republicans are up by just six seats in the House. Mr. Cook predicted that Republicans will retain control of the House and may even win back the Senate--a brave prediction when one considers that the party that controls the White House nearly always loses seats in congress during mid-term elections.

The other factor that makes this election unique is how voters' perceptions of President George W. Bush have changed since Sept. 11. Prior to the terrorist attacks, the president appeared to be bogged down in traditionally Democratic issues such as health care and unemployment. Since the terrorist attacks, focus has shifted to international policy and defense--areas where Republicans are strongest. At the same time, President Bush has seen his approval rating soar to more than 80% and Mr. Cook said the president should still be able to maintain an approval rating in the 60s, by the time the elections take place in November.

That said, he urged the audience not to take approval ratings too seriously when considering President Bush's chances for reelection in 2004. "We are an ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) nation!" he joked. "During the first 33 months in office there is absolutely no correlation between job approval and re-election."

Bioterrorism and Disasters

The role of antimicrobial and pest management products in response to bioterrorism and disasters was the sobering topic of the antimicrobial and pesticide joint program, which was held on May 9. Over the years, North Carolina has been hit hard by a long list of hurricanes. During that time, state officials have learned a great deal about responding to these kinds of disasters and Dr. Nolan Newton of the pest management division of the North Carolina Dept. of Environmental Protection, shared some of his experiences with the audience. He noted that in times of flooding, a variety of displaced animals, including racoons and fire ants, can cause problems for rescue workers. Once the flood waters have receded, there is great demand for products that kill mold and mildew. He urged the industry to respond quickly to emergencies, to follow guidelines established by the state and to avoid conflict with state employees.

But not every disaster is the result of nature. The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C. were quickly followed by anthrax mailings in the U.S. Dr. Lynn Sehulster of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), told members of CSPA how they can help her agencies and other organizations respond to anthrax attacks and other bioterrorism agents. Dr. Sehulster noted that consumers want to know what infectious diseases can be used as weapons and how can these agents be eliminated from the home. Also, consumers want to know how the government is ensuring the safety of surfaces, air and water and personal items.

To help clarify the situation, the CDC has categorized a variety of diseases. For example, category A includes anthrax, botulism, plague and smallpox. All of these diseases are transmitted from person to person and result in a high mortality rate. Category B diseases include salmonella and viral encephalitis agents. Category C diseases include hantavirus and Nipah virus.

According to Dr. Sehulster, the CDC is focusing on category A diseases and bioterrorism agents. In general, with the exception of anthrax, all category A bacterial and viral agents are likely to be inactivated on hard, nonporous surfaces, by using low- or intermediate-level disinfectants, according to the speaker. Factors in choosing a disinfectant procedure include the type and concentration of the germicide used, duration and temperature of the germicide contact.

RELATED ARTICLE: Aerosol Fillings Slipped 3.3% in 2001.

ALTHOUGH THE INDUSTRY filled an estimated 3.093 billion units in 2001 (the sixth-highest total in aerosol industry history), the number represents a decrease of 3.3% from 2000, according to the results of the 51st annual Aerosol Pressurized Products Survey developed by the CSPA to report on U.S. and Puerto Rico unit production. The total remains below that for the peak year, 1996, when an estimated 3.21 billion units were filled. According to CSPA, when compared to population growth per capita unit production remains about 20% below peak production in the early 1970s. The association also noted that participation in the latest survey was the highest in many years, with 89% of unit production reported directly by fillers.

By product category, fillings of personal care products, the largest category, slipped 4% to nearly 892.6 million units. However, food product fillings rose 7.7% to nearly 360.2 million units. Here's the results for other segments that are tracked by the CSPA aerosol division:

* Insect sprays--198.8 million units (-0.9%);

* Paints and finishes--402.5 million units (-8.5%);

* Household products--787.9 million units, (-1.8%);

* Animal products--1.6 million units (-34.8%);

* Auto, lubricants & industrial productS--403.5 million units (-9.5%) and

* Miscellaneous--46.3 million units (+9.1%).