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Fact Pack

Pesticides in Schools

Pesticide Use and Application

Surveys from across the country in the late 1990s show that most schools still use some kinds of pesticides and, even in California, 87% of school districts reported using one or more of 27 hazardous pesticides linked to cancer, reproductive system disorders, and nerve damage.

In many schools, pesticides are applied by unlicensed personnel, or school personal who have had limited or no training with pesticide application. Unlicensed personnel do not always know which pesticides are the most dangerous, may apply “restricted use” pesticides, or may apply more of a pesticide than is necessary. Some schools still apply pesticides when children are actually in the area and many still allow students to enter areas that have recently been treated with pesticides. Many schools do not keep records as to what pesticides are applied or when.

Pesticide Residue and Drift

Pesticides are often applied in the form of aerial mists or powder. Even when applied with proper ventilation and according to directions, pesticide vapors can persist for hours and can drift into other rooms. Pesticides applied on lawns or beneath buildings can drift indoors into occupied areas.

The rates at which pesticides break down or dissipate vary greatly, depending on the chemical used and the surface it contacts. Outdoor pesticides can persist in soil for extended periods. Pesticides can collect on plush surfaces such as carpets and furniture, and release vapors back into the air. In some cases, pesticides have been measured in indoor air weeks or months after application.

During certain times of the year, farms and ranches will use pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides that should never be used near children. Often these pesticides are applied through aerial spraying, and pesticide residue can hang in the air and drift into occupied areas before settling.

Health Risks of Pesticides

Children and school staff commonly experience difficulty breathing, asthma attacks, dizziness, eye irritation, headaches, nausea, skin irritation, rashes, and sore throat after exposure to pesticides at school. Pesticides are also associated with diseases that are more serious or effects that can cause lasting harm. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently lists 96 pesticide active ingredients as possible human carcinogens.

Studies have shown that certain pesticide exposures to children increase the chance of cancers such as leukemia, brain tumors, sarcomas, and lymphomas.

Nervous System Damage

Many pesticide products, such as Diazinon and chlorpyrifos (Dursban), are neurotoxic – they are designed to affect the nervous system. They have been linked in animal studies to developmental delays, hyperactivity, behavioral disorders, and motor dysfunction. The EPA is currently phasing out the household uses of chlorpyrifos, due to their reassessment of its toxicity to children, but there are still many neurotoxic pesticides available for use. These chemicals can get into the bodies of children through ingestion, inhalation, and absorption through the skin. Pyrethroids, organochlorines, carbamates, and chlorophenoxy herbicides are also suspected to cause nervous system damage in children.

Additional Studies on Health Risks of Pesticides to Children

  • Fenske, R.A., et al. “Potential Exposure and Health Risks of Infants following Indoor Residential Pesticide Applications.” American Journal of Public Health 80.6 (1990): 689-693.
  • Guillette, Elizabeth A., et al. “An Anthropological Approach to the Evaluation of Preschool Children Exposed to Pesticides in Mexico.” Environmental Health Perspectives 106.6 (June 1998): 347-353.
  • Lewis R.G., et al. “Determination of Routes of Exposure of Infants and Toddlers to Household Pesticides: A Pilot Study (EPA/600/D-19/077).” Research Triangle Park, North Carolina: Research Triangle Institute, 1991.
  • Schettler, Ted, et al. “In Harms Way: Toxic Threats to Child Development.” Cambridge, Massachusetts: Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility (GBPSR), May 2000.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

With the support of the EPA and many state agencies, integrated pest management (IPM) programs are being established by individual schools and school districts. The EPA is encouraging school officials to adopt IPM practices to reduce children’s exposure to pesticides.

Over a dozen states have laws recommending or requiring schools to develop IPMs. Integrated pest management uses a combination of common sense along with natural and least-toxic controls to minimize or even eliminate pesticide use in schools. Most IPM plans do not allow the use of pesticides unless pests are present. If pests are present, IPM uses information of the type of pest present and its life cycle to help decide what treatment to use and when. IPM also tries to understand why the pest is present and, if possible, eliminate attractants, thus preventing the pest’s return. IPM also take into consideration possible harm to people, property, and the environment when deciding what pest treatment methods to use.

The development of IPM also encourages parents, teachers, and other school staff to participate in policy decisions regarding pest management. Many existing pesticide control programs in schools and school districts continue out of habit, and have not been examined in decades. Meanwhile, our understanding of the interaction between pesticides and the environment has grown, and many pesticides have been banned or restricted in their use near children. Developing an IPM program encourages a review of pesticide safety; it allows parents and teachers to raise their concerns and propose least-toxic pest control measures that have been proven effective elsewhere.

Links to “Pesticides in Schools” Research