| Healthy
Schools, Healthy Children, Successful Students January 1999 |
| Reducing Children's Exposure to Toxic
Chemicals In the Home, At School, and in the Community Compiled by Elizabeth Loudon, Washington Toxics Coalition |
| Parents have
a huge stake in making sure their children have safe and healthy environments to learn and
grow. Exposure to lead, pesticides, and other toxic chemicals directly impacts kids'
health and ability to learn when they come to school and their ability to go on and lead
productive, healthy, happy lives. This brief has been prepared by the Washington Toxics
Coalition to address some toxic chemicals children may be exposed to, and to let PTA
leaders know what they can do to prevent these exposures.
Children's environmental health has been getting a lot of attention lately, from proposed legislation in Congress, to announcements of new programs by the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House. Increasing attention is being drawn to the fact that children are not simply small adults, but are more vulnerable to the harmful effects of toxic chemicals and in many cases also have higher exposures. Regulations based on health and safety of adults have been found to be inadequate in protecting children from harm. In this brief we will focus on two examples, pesticides and lead, and what you can do to prevent exposure to these chemicals. We have also included information on upcoming public hearings on a proposal by the Washington State Department of Ecology to reduce releases of chemicals that build up in bodies and breastmilk. The information on pesticides focuses on exposure at schools, and is taken from WTC's factsheet "What You Can Do About Pesticide Use in Schools". The information on lead addresses exposure in the home, and is taken from WTC's publication "Reducing Exposure to Lead in Older Homes". Home use of pesticides can also be an important place to reduce; see WTC's Alternatives factsheets on particular pest and weed problems and least-toxic control methods. This product was partially funded through a grant from Washington State Department of Ecology. While these materials were reviewed for grant consistency, this does not necessarily constitute endorsement by the department. |
MORE INFORMATION AND PRESENTATIONS ARE AVAILABLE For more information on any of these or related topics, call the
Washington Toxics Coalition at (206) For more information on our campaign to get pesticides out of schools, call
Elizabeth Loudon at (206) PTA's can also schedule a slideshow presentation by the Washington Toxics Coalition on this topic. |
What You Can Do About Pesticide Use in Schools You and your children may be exposed to hazardous pesticides at school. Many schools routinely spray pesticides on fields and grounds, in classrooms, locker rooms, gyms, and cafeterias. Most schools in Washington State do not have policies on pest control, or practices that emphasize pest prevention. Pest control companies are contracted to spray on a routine basis. Pesticides commonly used in and around schools can cause serious health problems including learning disabilities and behavior changes, damage the nervous and endocrine (hormonal) systems, and cause cancer. A report by the National Academy of Sciences has shown that children are more susceptible than adults to the health effects from low-level exposure to pesticides over the long term, and that exposure of pesticides to children at levels believed to be safe for adults could result in permanent loss of brain function. Across the nation, there have been cases of schools closed for several weeks following pesticide applications because teachers and students became ill. In the worst case in recent years in Washington State, 7-year old Michael Storey of Yakima County was in a coma for two days and almost died after eating granules of disulfoton, an acutely toxic insecticide that he found on school grounds. Pesticides are poisons intended to kill insects, plants, fungi, rodents, and other living things. Pesticides can be registered for use by the EPA even when studies show that they pose risks to human or environmental health. Pesticides Commonly Used in Schools Some specific pesticides commonly used include 2,4-D (trade name Weed-B-Gone, LawnKeep, and others), diazinon (Spectracide or Knox Out 2FM), chlorpyrifos (Dursban), and glyphosate (Roundup). The following are some of the health hazards associated with each of these pesticides:
Diazinon is an insecticide which belongs to the class of chemicals known as organophosphates. It works by disabling nerve signal transmission. Signs of poisoning include headache, dizziness, muscle weakness and problems with coordination, intestinal cramps, vision problems, and bronchial tube spasms.
Chlorpyrifos is one of the most widely-used organophosphate insecticides in the United States. It has similar poisoning symptoms to diazinon, and has also been linked to depression, asthma, and birth defects.
Glyphosate is the active ingredient of Roundup, one of the most commonly-used herbicides. Symptoms of poisoning include gastrointestinal pain, vomiting, swelling of the lungs, pneumonia, clouding of consciousness, and destruction of red blood cells. Roundup contains POEA, an "inert" ingredient that is three times more toxic than glyphosate, and 1,4-dioxane, a contaminant which can cause cancer in animals. 1,4-dioxane is also suspected to be carcinogenic in humans. In response to a growing concern over the ill effects of exposure to pesticides, school districts, cities and states are adopting Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs to control problem pests and vegetation. IPM is an ecologically sound approach to pest control that emphasizes prevention, physical or biological control where possible, and the use of least-toxic chemicals only as a last resort. The National Parent Teacher Association and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have endorsed the use of IPM in schools. Most school districts that have adopted IPM have found that over the long term costs can be lower, through better prevention techniques and reduced costs of chemicals. In Washington State several school districts, including Bainbridge Island, Olympia, and Seattle, have adopted or are developing policies on pest control and pesticide use. Examples of IPM Techniques Weed Control
Insect Control
Reducing Exposure to Lead in Older Homes More than 66,500 Washington toddlers living in pre-1950 houses have a risk of relatively high exposure to lead (chemical symbol Pb). Lead is a toxic metal which can cause reduced growth, hearing loss, and impaired learning ability. Lead is tracked in from the yard and street on shoes. It also is released if old paint inside the house is disturbed. Lead accumulates in the dust in rugs, carpets, and furniture. This dust gets on the hands and other things infants put in their mouths and is their largest source of lead intake. The amount of lead in an infant's blood appears to be directly related to the amount of lead in the house dust. Remodeling, peeling paint, and painting in an older house may triple the lead exposure of a toddler. House dust also contains residues of pesticides, combustion products, allergens, and other toxic substances. Parents can reduce the lead in rugs by a factor of ten or more by removing shoes at the door, using high quality door mats, and vacuuming more thoroughly. Some types of vacuum cleaners and rugs are much better than others in this respect. Improving personal hygiene and housekeeping are proven ways to reduce lead in the blood of children, and they may protect a child's ability to learn. Parents can make a real difference by taking the steps outlined at the end of this paper. Why Homes are Dusty There are many reasons why homes are dusty. These days many parents have full-time jobs outside the home, leaving them little time to vacuum, mop, and clean. They may be reluctant to spend their precious minutes at home doing housekeeping, and so cleaning is not as thorough as it could be. The vacuum cleaner may be broken, the belt loose, or the bag full. Or it may be a canister-type cleaner that collects only 10% of the dust. Health Effects of LeadReduction of the lead content in paint, food, and gasoline has lowered the blood lead of children dramatically. However, recent data have shown health effects of lead in toddlers at levels formerly considered harmless. It is estimated that 930,000 (4.4%) of the preschool children in the United States still experience lead poisoning that can cause lower growth, hearing loss, and reduced learning ability. These children have blood lead levels greater than 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood (mg/dl), the new "action level" for lead. Rates are higher among blacks (11%), low income children (8%), and toddlers one to two years old (5.9%), compared with all white children (2.3%). In addition thousands of fetuses are exposed each year to lead in their mother's blood at 10 mg/dl or above, levels which can cause early birth, reduced birth weight, and lower IQ. Lead poisoning in the United States is a silent epidemic. It goes unnoticed because there are no clinical symptoms at the 10 mg/dl level. Physicians rarely test for lead unless they see clinical symptoms. Lower income groups have the highest risks because old or peeling paint is often found in low-income housing. Sources And Pathways Toddlers are the group with the highest risk from lead in homes because of their crawling and mouthing activity as well as their vulnerable developmental stage. It is estimated that toddlers in a clean suburban home receive at least 40 times as much lead from ingesting dust as from air. Children absorb more of the lead they ingest than adults do. The best single predictor of a toddler's blood lead appears to be the amount of lead in the rug where the child plays. Some infants go through episodes of eating paint chips and chewing on window sills. (Lead-based paint chips taste sweet.) Such behavior may produce the most health damage. Sources of childhood lead include remodeling and repainting activities, peeling paint, food, pottery, home remedies, air, water, and track-in of lead in soil and street dust from outside the home. Very few cases of excess lead in water have been reported in Seattle. But the average fine dust and soil lead concentration in Seattle homes built before 1950 exceeded the EPA cleanup standard for superfund sites. Many of these samples of house dust would be classified as hazardous waste (above 1000 ppm lead) in California. Lead levels in paint vary even among houses of the same age, but generally speaking homes built before 1950 have the highest levels, while those built between 1950 and 1980 probably have somewhat lower levels. Until measurements are taken, assume that lead is present in homes built before 1980.Lead from auto emissions and paint scrapings collects in surface soil in urban areas, where it has left a permanent legacy averaging 100 to 200 ppm lead in urban soil. Much higher lead levels are found near homes, where exterior lead paint and auto emissions that collect on the surface of the house have contaminated adjacent soil. Some of this lead is tracked into house dust. Air ducts and window wells can also be major sources of lead. Remodeling activities, painting, and peeling paint or broken plaster in houses over 30 years old may produce large amounts of lead in house dust and consequently in a toddler's blood. The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued safety alerts in 1988 and 1990 on the hazards to children from removal of lead paint in homes. Steps to Reduce Lead Exposure |
| Stopping the Most Toxic Pollutants by Carol Dansereau, Washington Toxics Coalition The Department of Ecology is developing a plan to end the release to the environment of dioxins, furans, mercury, certain pesticides and other poisons that build up in bodies, breastmilk, wildlife and food. These pollutants are linked to learning impairments, cancer, birth defects, reproductive problems, immune system damage and other problems. Washington state is the first state to do this and it is under tremendous pressure from various industries to not move forward. The Department of Ecology is holding a series of public meetings around the state on this proposal. The Washington Toxics Coalition urges you to attend to show your support for children's health, salmon recovery, and an end to Hand-me-Down Poisons. The meetings will be held:
For more information, contact Carol at 206-632-1545 ext. 13, or by email at cdansereau@watoxics.org |
| Return to Top of Page Return to Healthy Schools, Healthy Children, Successful Students Topics |