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Main food topics
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Save Our Students
School Environment Protection Act is Long Overdue, and We Can Get It Passed
Toxic pesticides are routinely used—and often overused—on school grounds across the nation. A practice to reduce pests and protect children from one set of threats simply puts them at risk of another: toxic exposure to pesticides.
Pesticides are not the only way or even the best way to manage insect or weed pests. There are better means to control pests that can be used to eliminate or reduce reliance on pesticides, and for our children’s health, schools should be encouraged to phase out these toxic chemicals.
Currently, more than 30 states have laws limiting pesticide use in and around schools. But we should not take false comfort in that figure; protections vary widely from one place to another. Five of those states, for example, only legislate the posting of notification signs for outdoor lawn applications. That’s hardly any protection at all. And then there are the 17 states with no protections at all. (For more detailed information, click here or visit www.generationgreen.org/sos-pesticide-states.htm.)
Children, particularly young children, are more vulnerable than adults to adverse health effects from pesticides. Pesticide exposure can adversely affect a child’s neurological, respiratory, immune and endocrine systems, even at low levels. Several pesticides are also known to cause or exacerbate asthma symptoms. Worse, pesticides are often used in areas of the school where exposure risks are heightened, such as in or near the cafeteria and on playgrounds and athletic fields.
To make sure protections are consistent nationwide, we need federal legislation. Congress passed on the opportunity to pass the School Environment Protection Act (SEPA) last year, but the bill is back and it’s time to get both the Senate and the House mobilized on this issue.
Among other things, SEPA could:
- Halt students and staff from unknowingly being exposed to unnecessary pesticide use.
- Provide incentives for schools to use safer, more effective pest management practices.
- Allow parents, school nurses, and staff to find out what is being applied and take any necessary precautions.
- Help with the dissemination of existing manuals, guides, etc., on implementing safer practices.
- Decrease the amount schools would spend on pest management.
A sample letter appears below to encourage your representative to support the version of SEPA reintroduced by U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) as H.R. 110 earlier this year. (U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) recently introduced Senate Bill 1619, a similar bill.) Although it differs in some ways, consider writing your senators, too, to support their version of SEPA. The important thing is to get some kind of real protections on the books, and the Senate and House usually have to negotiate differences between bills when they pass their respective versions anyway, so minor differences at this point are not a major concern.
You can learn more about pesticide issues and other important children’s school health issues by visiting www.generationgreen.org/sos-main.htm.
SAMPLE LETTER:
Send To:
Your U.S. Representative
If you don’t know how to reach your representative or senators, visit:
www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.html – for representatives
www.senate.gov/senators/senator_by_state.cfm – for senators
Dear Rep. _____________________________:
Across the nation, school environments endanger students’ health and expose them to unnecessarily high levels of pesticides on school grounds. Pesticide exposure can adversely affect a child’s neurological, respiratory, immune and endocrine systems, even at low levels, and several pesticides are also known to cause or exacerbate asthma symptoms. The EPA, National Academy of Sciences, and American Public Health Association, among others, have voiced concerns about the danger that pesticides pose to children.
Pesticides are overused, and not enough schools use integrated pest management practices that emphasize preventive measures and include non-toxic options. Relying on the most toxic options rather than safer alternatives is dangerous. It is taking the easy way out, and does a disservice to our children. We need federal standards to ensure schools are safe for our children.
Another reason we need a federal law is that state laws addressing pesticides in schools vary widely from state to state, and many states still have no such laws at all. All of this could be achieved by passing the School Environment Protection Act (SEPA) introduced by Rep. Holt. I urge you to put children’s health first and put your support behind SEPA.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
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