Pesticides A Toxic Time Bomb in Our Midst

Ralph Engel, president of the Chemical Specialties Manufacturers Association, said

parents should be notified about school pesticide use, but he opposed any suggestions

that pesticides use should be reduced in schools. RISE’s Allen James said the pro-

posed seventy-two-hour notification would interfere in ‘‘the timely use of pesti-

cides.’’^88 The American Public Health Association quickly responded:

‘‘There are more than 54 million children and 2.3 million teachers in our K-12

schools today. Every child and every teacher should have a right to go to a school that

is environmentally clean, safe, and well designed. They have a right to a school learn-

ing environment with fresh clean indoor air, safe water, exposure to the out-of-doors

and exercise and where health risks from toxicides such as chemical pesticides would

be a non-factor.’’^89

A Few Caveats

One major concern is that most school employees are not familiar with pesticides,

proper usage, and potential problems. Some states require trained personnel to apply

pesticides, but other states have no oversight.

Pesticides exposure is also known to affect the cognitive and motor skills of stu-

dents. The U.S. Office of Technology Assessment reports:

‘‘In general, [human health] research demonstrates that pesticide poisoning can

lead to poor performance on tests involving intellectual functioning, academic skills,

abstraction, flexibility of thought, and motor skills; memory disturbances and inabil-

ity to focus attention; deficits in intelligence, reaction time, and manual dexterity;

and reduced perceptual speed.’’^90

A Bill of Rights

The following Bill of Rights was adopted by the New York State Board of Regents

in June of 1994:

‘‘Every child and school employee has the right to an environmentally safe and

healthy school which is clean and in good repair.

‘‘Every child, parent, and school employee has a right to know about environmen-

tal hazards in school environment.

‘‘Schools should serve as role models for environmentally responsible behavior.

‘‘School officials and appropriate public agencies should be held accountable for

providing an environmentally safe and healthy school facility.

‘‘Federal, state, local, and private sector entities should work together to ensure that

resources are used effectively and efficiently to address environmental health and

safety concerns.’’^91

A Teacher’s Warning

Irene Wilkenfeld, a former teacher who became chronically ill after being exposed

to pesticides decades ago, issued a final, poignant admonition:

150 | Pesticides

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