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Environmental Health Reports
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Executive Summary
As the new home of CALPIRG's environmental work, Environment California
can be contacted with any questions regarding this report.
Twenty five years ago, the California Parent
Teacher Association passed a resolution calling
for the reduced use of pesticides in
schools, calling on policymakers to consider
all possible alternatives before using any pesticides
and to use pesticides only as an emergency
measure. Since then, the National Parent
Teacher Association, the National Education
Association and a wide array of public
interest organizations across the nation have
announced support for reducing pesticide use
in schools.
Meanwhile, the overall incidence of childhood
cancer increased 10% between 1974
and 1991, the most recent statistics available,
making cancer the leading cause of childhood
death from disease. Approximately 4.8 million
children in the U.S. under the age of 18
have asthma, the most common chronic illness
in children and one which is on the rise.
Numerous scientific studies have linked both
diseases to pesticide exposure.
Unfortunately, neither public interest advocates
nor ominous health trends have convinced
authorities to remove toxic pesticides
from California schools. In an attempt to
characterize the current use of pesticides in
our schools, researchers at the California Public
Interest Research Group (CALPIRG)
Charitable Trust recently requested pesticide
use information from 54 California school
districts statewide, representing urban,
suburban and rural areas. This
research effort was hindered by the
absence of state pesticide use reporting
and notification requirements
for schools. Reluctance on the part
of school staff, lack of pesticide
record keeping by schools and limited
school resources all made it difficult to obtain pesticide-related
records. CALPIRG Charitable Trust
eventually resorted to legal counsel
to obtain this information. Because
of incomplete, illegible and missing
pesticide use information, it was
not possible to assess the overall
quantity of pesticides used in the school districts
surveyed—some may have applied pesticides
listed in this report infrequently or in
small amounts while others may have applied
large quantities.
However, by scrutinizing the pesticide use
records and school invoices for pesticide purchases
and contracted services for 46 responding
school districts—representing approximately
one in four of all children enrolled
in California’s public schools grades K–
12—this report is able to provide the first ever
statewide assessment of pesticides used
in our school systems.
We found that:
1. Highly toxic pesticides are used
in California school districts.
Of the 46 school districts responding to our
request for information, 87% (40) reported
using one or more of 27 particularly hazardous
pesticides that can cause cancer, affect the
reproductive system, mimic the hormone
(endocrine) system or act as nerve toxins. The
percentage of surveyed school districts using
each of these most-hazardous pesticides is
provided in Table A below.
The use of highly toxic chemicals in schools
is of significant concern. According to the
National Academy of Sciences, children are highly susceptible to the effects of toxic
chemicals and may not be protected from
pesticides under current regulations. Not
simply “little adults,” children are in the
midst of highly complex, and vulnerable, developmental
processes that regulate tissue
growth and organ development. They may
also receive greater pesticide exposures than
adults—both because of their physiology and
because childhood behaviors may increase
contact with surfaces sprayed with pesticides.
2. In California schools, pesticides
are the rule, not the exception.
Ninety-three percent (43) of the responding
school districts reported using pesticides.
Combined, these school districts reported
using over 70 different pesticide active ingredients
in over 170 pesticide product formulations.
At least 30% (14) of the surveyed school districts
contracted with commercial exterminators
who applied pesticides on a regular
monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly basis—in
some cases even when no pests were present.
So-called “calendar spraying” may also have
occurred in any of another 28 surveyed
school districts which submitted more ambiguous
records. According to data collected
by the Department of Pesticide Regulation
in late 1993, only 2% of the 556 responding
California school districts were able
to document plans or programs for practicing
least-toxic pest control or Integrated Pest
Management (IPM).
3. Least-toxic pest management is
proven to be effective.
The above findings suggest that California
school districts have not embraced opportunities
for using least-toxic methods to combat
pests. Combinations of techniques, such as
improved sanitation, mechanical exclusions
(screens, caulking), inspections and traps can
eliminate the need for applying highly toxic
chemicals. Three of the surveyed school districts
are already managing pest problems
without toxic chemicals. In addition, a recent
survey of 21 Pennsylvania school districts
that have adopted IPM programs found that
these programs are effective, of equal or lower cost than using hazardous pesticides, and
may even reduce school absenteeism.
4. Parents, policymakers and the
public are prevented from getting
basic information about pesticide
use in schools.
Unlike several other states, including Arizona,
Texas and Michigan, California has no law
requiring notification of parents or teachers
before applying pesticides in schools. Without
notification, parents and teachers are unable
to take precautionary measures or participate
in pest management decision-making.
Similarly, there is no requirement for schools
to report their own overall pesticide use.
When school districts contract with commercial
applicators, the applicator reports pesticide
use to the Department of Pesticide
Regulation. However, unlike agricultural pesticide
use reports, this information is not
coded in a way to identify the location (name
of school) where the pesticides were used. In
effect, pesticide use is better documented for
an acre of cabbage than for a California classroom.
As a result, finding information about
pesticide use in schools is next to impossible.
It is therefore extremely difficult for school
managers, state regulators and the public to
obtain the most basic information necessary
to ensure that our children’s health is protected.
Recommendations
When it comes to protecting our children’s health from the use of
pesticides in California schools, Governor Wilson and the California
legislature get a failing grade. Under the Wilson Administration, the
Department of Pesticide Regulation has continued to permit the use of
highly toxic pesticides in our classrooms while keeping parents and
teachers in the dark about school pesticide use. Opportunities for
using least-toxic alternative methods of pest management have been all
but ignored. In 1992, State Senator Nicholas Petris (D-Oakland)
introduced legislation that would have banned the use of highly toxic
pesticides in California schools. Unfortunately, his bill was weakened
in the legislature and finally vetoed by Governor Wilson.
The CALPIRG Charitable Trust, together
with the statewide coalition Californians for
Pesticide Reform, urges swift action to protect
our children from the unnecessary risks
posed by using dangerous pesticides in
schools.
• Policymakers should eliminate the school
use of pesticides which cause cancer, adverse
reproductive and developmental effects,
disrupt hormones or harm the nervous
system; provide training, incentives,
materials and quantifiable reduction goals
to promote the reduction of pesticides in
schools; ensure that school pesticide use is
identifiably reported under the state pesticide
use reporting system; and require
prior-notification to parents and school
staff before the application of pesticides.
• School managers should not wait for leadership
from state agencies to implement
these reforms.
• Teachers, parents and students should request
information about pesticides used in
and around schools and participate in
school pest management decision-making
to ensure that least-toxic pest management
is practiced.
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