PANUPS: JAMA Study of Pesticide Risks in Schools

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Thu, 15 Sep 2005 23:52:41 GMT

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PANUPS: JAMA Study of Pesticide Risks in Schools

 

 

 

 

JAMA Study of Pesticide Risks in Schools

September 15, 2005

 

A study published this summer in the Journal of the American Medical

Association underscores the risks of pesticide use in and around the

nation's schools. Analyzing 2,593 reported pesticide poisonings in

schools and childcare centers between 1998 to 2002, the study reported

several troubling findings: incidence rates among children increased

significantly from 1998 to 2002; drifting pesticides applied off site

were responsible for 31% of reported poisonings; and insecticides and

disinfectants were the pesticides most frequently at fault. Study

authors note that no federal requirement limits pesticide exposures at

childcare centers, elementary or secondary schools, and that their

results " should be considered low estimates of the magnitude of the

problem because many cases of pesticide poisoning are likely not

reported to surveillance systems and poison control centers. "

 

The study, " Acute Illnesses Associated With Pesticide Exposure at

Schools, " examined state surveillance data in the National Institute

for Occupational Safety and Health's Sentinel Event Notification

System for Occupational Risks pesticides program and from the

California Department of Pesticide Regulation, and a national database

of calls made to poison control centers in the Toxic Exposure

Surveillance Systems. The study reported incidence rates of pesticide

related illness of 7.4 cases per million for students and 27.3 cases

per million for employees, but emphasized that individuals needed to

seek medical care and be reported in order to be counted in the study.

Pesticide related illnesses are grossly under-reported for a number of

reasons: individuals may not seek or be able to afford medical care,

doctors are often not trained to recognize pesticide related illness,

and symptoms of minor or even moderate pesticide poisoning can

resemble those of other common illnesses.

 

Children were the victims in 76% of the reported cases, and

insecticides alone or combined with other pesticides were most often

responsible-for 895 cases (or 35% of the total incidents).

Disinfectants caused 830 cases (32%), repellants were responsible for

335 incidents (13%) and herbicides were the cause in 279 cases (11%).

 

Organophosphates were the class of insecticides most frequently

responsible for poisonings. Children are more vulnerable than adults

to the effects of organophosphate pesticides, which have been linked

in animal studies to developmental delays, behavioral disorders and

motor dysfunction. In both laboratory animals and humans, exposure to

chlorpyrifos, one of the most commonly used organophosphate

pesticides, can cause delayed effects on the nervous system, sometimes

occurring years after exposure.

 

The study focused on acute pesticide exposure, but the authors

expressed considerable concern for long term effects, " Repeated

pesticide applications on school grounds raise concerns about

persistent low level exposures to pesticides at schools. " The authors

continued, " The chronic long-term impacts of pesticide exposures have

not been comprehensively evaluated; therefore, the potential for

chronic health effects from pesticide exposures at schools should not

be dismissed. Unfortunately, the surveillance methods used in our

report are inadequate for assessing chronic effects. " The authors also

noted that pesticides on school grounds can be tracked inside school

buildings. Once inside, pesticides breakdown more slowly, with

residues remaining for months or even years.

 

Federal legislation to require safer pest control in schools has been

stalled in the U.S. House of Representatives for several years.

Introduced in 1999 and adopted twice by the Senate, the School

Environmental Protection Act requires schools to adopt less toxic

methods of pest control, and notify parents and staff when pesticides

are applied on school grounds. The legislation is the product of years

of work by parent coalitions working to bring safer pest control

practices to their schools. A 2003 report by the School Pesticide

Reform Coalition and Beyond Pesticides provides models for parents and

school districts of least toxic pest control with profiles of 27

school districts avoiding use of hazardous pesticides. The Coalition

is now collecting pledges to its School Pesticide Reform Protocol on

its website, which includes detailed arguments to present to school

boards and administrators.

 

In the absence of a federal mandate, state policies on pesticide use

in schools are widely disparate and provide mixed protections. Sixteen

states require posting of signs for pesticide applications indoors or

outdoors, 25 require posting for applications on school grounds.

Twenty-one states require parents to be notified when pesticides are

applied, 10 restrict certain highly toxic pesticides in schools, and

16 states recommend or require use of Integrated Pest Management. Only

seven states attempt to control pesticide drift by restricting

applications near schools.

 

Sources: Alarcon et al., " Acute Illnesses Associated With Pesticide

Exposure at Schools " Journal of the American Medical Association, July

27, 2005, Vol. 294, No. 4; Press Release, July 27, 2005; Schooling of

State Pesticide laws-2002 Update, Beyond Pesticides,

http://www.beyondpesticides.org; Chlorpyrifos Facts, PANNA

http://www.panna.org/resources/documents/factsChlorpyrifos.dv.html;

" Achieving A Healthy Learning Environment Through Integrated Pest

Management, " 2003, School Pesticide Reform Protocol, School Pesticide

Reform Coalition,

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/toxicfreeschools/index.htm.

Contact: PANNA

 

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Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) 49 Powell St., Suite

500, San Francisco, CA 94102 USA Phone: (415) 981-1771 Fax: (415)

981-1991 Email: panna Web: http://www.panna.org