Furthermore, in too many of the 110,000 school districts across the nation,
untrained personnel are making critical decisions day in and day out about the use of
pesticides in school buildings and on school grounds. Children attend at least 180
days of school each year. An increased incidence of learning disorders has been linked
to this pesticide use. Federal law permits protections for farmers from re-entering
fields too soon after pesticide applications, but no such measures are available in the
case of many schools.
A serious health problem is also posed by some level of pesticide contamination of
drinking water in every state nationwide, in both agricultural and urban regions. Con-
tinuous monitoring will be essential to alleviate this health peril to our population.
In addition, other topics scrutinized here include testing, data collection, legisla-
tion, regulation, and political influence exerted by pesticide manufacturers.
I hope this book will heighten public awareness of the dangers pesticides pose for
humans, wildlife, and the environment.
The following persons and organizations deserve thanks for their assistance: Linda
Greer of the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, D.C.; Carol
Raffensperger and Ted Schettler of the Science and Environmental Health Network
in Ames, Iowa; The Center for Health, Environment & Justice in Falls Church,
Virginia; Aviva Glazer of the School Pesticide Monitor in Washington, D.C.; Beyond
Pesticides in Washington, D.C.; and Suzanne and Ralph Tarica.
A special debt is owed to my editors at Praeger Publishers, Hilary Claggett, and
James R. Dunton, for their timely assistance in the preparation of the manuscript.
Last, but not least, I take full responsibility for any errors of omission or
commission.viii | Preface