June 1997, Fontana, California.Janine Matelko’s daughter Chrissy Garavito, age
fifteen, died on June 30, 1997, allegedly due to ongoing exposures to organophos-
phate pesticides heavily sprayed throughout her school district in Fontana, California.
Chrissy had been having seizure-like episodes while enrolled as a student at South
Ridge Middle School. She would turn blue and stop breathing. Her physician placed
her on an anti-seizure medication. Happily, these episodes abated when Chrissy trans-
ferred to Fontana High School, where she was freshman and sophomore class presi-
dent, a cheerleader, a star athlete, and an honor-roll student. In late June, Chrissy
returned to the pesticide-laden South Ridge Middle School to play in an all-star soft-
ball game. She and her teammates changed clothes in the locker room and then took
the field, but Chrissy collapsed while sliding into home plate. It took paramedics
twenty minutes to get a pulse. She was transported to a local hospital and kept on life
support for about a week until she died on June 30, 1997.^64
Herbicides on School Grounds
Consider these startling facts about three herbicides that are commonly used on
school grounds and are widely believed to be ‘‘safe’’ and to break down rapidly into
harmless components.
Glyphosate, the active ingredient of Roundup, has been called ‘‘extremely persis-
tent under typical application conditions’’ by the EPA. Tests have shown that it can
persist in soil for up to three years. Glyphosate has also been shown to cause genetic
mutations in tests on human, animal, and plant cells.
The EPA has stated that chronic exposure to lawns treated with oryzalin (the active
ingredient of Surflan) ‘‘is of concern because oryzalin is a carcinogen and persistent.
There is a potential for continued, substantial contact with treated surfaces, especially
among children. There are no data to evaluate potential exposure to turfgrass, and
therefore the safety of this use cannot be evaluated.’’
Dichlobenil (the active ingredient of the herbicide Casoron) can persist in soil for
up to five years. It kills weeds by continuously emitting a toxic vapor into and above
treated soil. It also causes cancer in animals, and is classified by the EPA as a possible
human carcinogen.^65
Playground Toxins
Until recently, approximately 90 percent of outdoor wooden structures were made
using wood treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA). This substance, which is
roughly 25 percent arsenic, prevents rot and repels pests that might damage wood.
In the 1980s, almost all industries were told by the EPA that they could no longer
use arsenic in their consumer products. But the lumber industry caught a huge break
from the federal government, and wood producers were granted an exemption from
the new law. Because of this, picnic tables, playground equipment, and other wooden
structures currently in place at schools and in park playgrounds may be constructed
of wood that contains high levels of arsenic.
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