‘‘We are sabotaging our children’s success in school with our ignorance, our inertia,
and our silence. Until school-based environmental exposures are substantially cur-
tailed, our nation’s youngsters will continue to fall short of our educational goals.
Given the barrage of sobering statistics, why would intelligent and caring people
intentionally and regularly saturate their schools, homes, workplaces, and lawns with
these toxic chemicals? It makes no sense to use poisons that impair a child’s ability to
think and develop normally in the very places that are mandated to provide a safe
learning and growing environment. We’ve been bingeing on pesticides for too long.
It’s time to get off the toxic treadmill.’’^92
Irene Wilkenfeld died of liver failure due to an exposure to the hepatotoxic termi-
ticide chlordane. She was exposed at a school where she taught in the 1960s, and
spent most of the rest of her life teaching people about the dangers of pesticides and
the importance of safeguarding the school environment.
No Need for Pesticides
When an IPM approach is part of school pest management, pesticides may be used
as a last resort. However, principals could attempt another initiative, which would be
called the ‘‘Prevention and Cleanliness Plan for Pest Management.’’ It would be com-
posed of two steps. First, custodial staff would periodically monitor floors, school
walls, and baseboards for sites that might harbor rodents and insects. Upon locating
cracks or crevices, personnel would seal them with caulk or other appropriate seal-
ants. Custodians would also double-check the cafeteria for food scraps at the end of
the school day. Second, the principal would unveil a schoolwide No Food and No
Drinks policy, including signs to that effect in all classroom, halls, and restrooms.
The cafeteria would be the only place where food and liquid refreshment could be
ingested. For successful implementation, this policy would require the full cooperation of
students, teachers, and custodians. There is no reason why this plan would not be work-
able and could not be successful without having to utilize any harmful pesticides.
Notes
- Susan Johnson, Deputy Agricultural Commissioner in Ventura County, CA,
PBS’sNOW, August 19, 2005. - ‘‘Pesticide Pact Aimed at School, Kids,’’MSNBC News, June 21, 2002.
3.Integrated Pest Management for Schools (Washington, D.C.: Environmental
Protection Agency, June 2004): 1–5. - C. S. Miller, ‘‘The Compelling Anomaly of Chemical Intolerances,’’Annals of
the New York Academy of Science933 (March 2001): 1–23. - S. S. Addiss, N. O. Alderman, D. R. Brown, C. N. Each, and J. Wargo, ‘‘Pest
Control Practices in Connecticut Public Schools’’ (North Haven, CT: Environment
and Human Health, Inc., 1999). - J. Kaplan, S. Marquardt, and W. Barber,Failing Health: Pesticide Use in Cali-
fornia Schools(San Francisco: CALPIRG Charitable Trust, 1998).
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