Rethink Pesticide Policy

A group of parents at Sherman Oaks Elementary School has raised important questions about the use of pesticides on Los Angeles Unified School District campuses. The parents were understandably shaken when some of their children fell ill following a poorly timed outdoor spraying on campus earlier this year intended to kill weeds. Although school district workers generally follow strict procedures in the application of pesticides, the parents rightly suggest that Los Angeles consider following the lead of the San Francisco Unified School District and adopt a pest management program that relies on less toxic measures.

Already, the district has a fairly strict set of guidelines. Thirty pesticides are approved for use on LAUSD campuses. All but two are available to the public without restrictions. District workers are told to schedule sprayings and other applications when children are away from campus. Plus, the district calls for the application of toxic chemicals only after exhausting other options such as caulking cracks and laying traps.

Even so, the spreading of poison--and that’s what pesticides are--in a place where hundreds of growing children gather daily deserves serious discussion. Some scientists doubt the links between cancer and pesticide but some studies show a relationship. At the same time, incidence of asthma--a chronic illness linked in some studies to pesticide exposure--continues to rise and affects 4.8 million children nationwide. Despite that, California has no state policy on pesticide use reporting and notification for schools.

After studying the use of pesticides on campuses statewide, researchers with the California Public Interest Research Group in January called on school districts to use more natural measures to keep pests under control. Although some LAUSD workers argue that strong pesticides are a necessary part of their pest-fighting arsenal, other large school districts and governments have reduced the amount of toxic chemicals they use without being overrun by rats, weeds and ants.

In 1996, for instance, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed one of the toughest pesticide ordinances in the country, phasing out the most toxic pesticides by 2000. In a single year, the city and county reduced pesticide use from 4,877 pounds and 372 gallons to 640 pounds and 136 gallons. Earlier this year, the San Francisco school board adopted a similar program and promised to notify the public of all pesticide applications at schools.

There’s no reason such a program could not work in Los Angeles schools. To be effective, though, less toxic pest programs need the attention not just of gardeners and exterminators but of parents, teachers and administrators. For instance, teachers should keep rooms free of exposed food to avoid attracting ants and cockroaches. When student lunches are stored in a classroom, they should be kept in a sealed container. Administrators and parents can accept the fact that a few weeds on playing fields won’t hurt anyone.

The parents at Sherman Oaks Elementary are moving in the right direction--and they have the ear of school board member Julie Korenstein. It’s unrealistic to expect the district to drop its traditional methods of pest control overnight. That could do more harm than good. But a serious discussion about alternative methods deserves attention.