Schools’ Use of Toxic Pesticides Draws Fire

The recent decision by Los Angeles schools to ban toxic pesticides on school grounds is prompting calls that Orange County schools protect its children by eliminating the same insecticides and weed killers.

Experts say schools in the county’s 27 districts should join a growing number of public entities nationwide in halting or curtailing the use of such chemicals on school buildings and landscapes.

“I think L.A.’s decision was a sound one,” said Dr. Oladele Ogunseitan, an environmental health scientist at UC Irvine. “I think Orange County should follow suit.”

Some, like Jonathan Kaplan, toxics program director for the California Public Interest Research Group Charitable Trust, are more adamant.

“We should not be playing Russian roulette, essentially, with these chemicals and children,” said Kaplan, whose group has published a study on pesticide use in California schools.

But officials at a number of the county’s largest school districts said they have no plans to alter their practices. The issue has not been raised among parents in their districts, they said, and the pesticides are being used safely.

“I’m from the old school,” said Gordon Cook, director of maintenance and operations at Anaheim Union High School District. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Numerous studies associate pesticides with a range of childhood illnesses and syndromes, from leukemia and asthma to attention deficit disorder. But scientists point out that there is no hard evidence linking the low-level pesticide exposure that would likely occur at schools with such illnesses.

Some scientists criticize pesticide opponents for being alarmist. In toxicology, they say, dosage is what counts the most. Even water, ingested in large amounts, can kill someone, they say.

“There is no evidence that exposure to low levels of these chemicals has a harmful effect,” said Dr. Bob Krieger, a professor of toxicology at UC Riverside. “When the dose is so low, it doesn’t make sense.”

But other scientists aren’t persuaded.

“Pesticides are by their very nature designed to poison living things,” said Dr. Mark Miller, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ national committee on environmental health.

Two weeks ago, the Los Angeles Unified School District school board unanimously agreed to phase out the use of such chemicals in its schools over the next three years and to adopt a so-called least-toxic approach to pest management.

The district was spurred to action by a growing body of medical research, as well as loud complaints from a coalition of parents, physicians and health care advocates.

Those lobbying for the change cited last year’s CalPIRG survey, which found that 93% of 46 school districts use pesticides. The disturbing finding, they said, was that 87% of the districts use one or more of 27 federally listed hazardous pesticides that, among other affects, can cause cancer and nerve damage.

The Los Angeles plan, one of the most stringent in the nation, emphasizes the prevention of pest problems and the use of alternative methods of pest control, such as hiring gardeners to pull weeds rather than spray them.

The strict policy sets up an approved list of nontoxic products and procedures. The use of pesticides not on the list must be approved by a district official and an independent toxicity expert, and notice must be given to parents.

The San Francisco Unified School District approved a similar plan in February. Also, four states have passed laws mandating limits on pesticide use in their schools.

California Assemblyman Kevin Shelley (D-San Francisco) recently introduced a bill that would ban school districts statewide from using certain hazardous chemicals.

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In interviews, officials at Orange County’s largest school districts--Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Capistrano, Saddleback Valley, Orange and Anaheim--said they regularly use an array of pesticides, including several that have been linked to cancer and a variety of neurological disorders.

They said they ensure safety by relying only on products approved by both the state Department of Pesticide Regulation and the federal Environmental Protection Agency. They also said they faithfully follow manufacturers’ guidelines in using the products.

But several insecticides the schools spray on baseboards and floors to kill cockroaches and ants include the active ingredient chlorpyrifos, which is classified by the EPA as a nerve toxin.

The acute effects of chlorpyrifos, which is contained in commonly used insecticides like Dursban and Waxie Bug-Off, include headaches, dizziness, mental confusion and vomiting.

Perhaps more alarming is anecdotal evidence of its potential chronic effects. In tests on rats, chlorpyrifos was found to cause a range of problems, including increased birth defects and reduced neurological performance.

Diazinon, another agent commonly used, impaired endurance and coordination and caused birth defects in mice.

Researchers are increasingly concerned that pesticides may be a leading cause of a range of neurological disorders in children, including hyperactivity and lowered IQ.

In a recent study in the state of Sonora, Mexico, scientists found that the ability of young children who lived in pesticide-infested areas to perform a variety of tasks, including drawing a picture and catching a ball, was dramatically inferior to those who did not live in such areas.

Even weaker chemicals, like those in the popular weed killer Roundup, can be acutely toxic to humans, causing eye and skin irritation, seizures and vomiting, some experts say.

Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate, also can persist in theground months after application, they said, and decompose into formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. The manufacturer, however, assures that the chemical dissipates rapidly.

Pesticide opponents say it is only a matter of time before better scientific analysis uncovers more definitive proof of the harmful effects of pesticides.

Studies have found it difficult to measure degree of exposure to pesticides in children suffering from cancer, asthma or other illnesses associated with the chemicals, they said.

Safety assurances of regulators and manufacturers are not reliable because of large gaps in the regulatory process, some said.

“The fact that they’re not on a list [of toxins] means 99 times out of 100 that it hasn’t yet been sufficiently studied,” said Dr. Kirk Murphy, a leader on the issue for Physicians for Social Responsibility. “There’s a whole pipeline of substances that have to still be thoroughly tested.”

The EPA is in the midst of a massive reassessment of nearly all the pesticides currently on the market.

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While a strict policy now governs Los Angeles schools, pesticide decisions at Orange County’s large districts are made on an ad hoc basis by grounds and maintenance officials.

Some Orange County districts were not even aware of what the outside contractors were spraying.

“We’re not in a situation where we feel we need to monitor them,” said Judy Frutig, a spokeswoman for Orange Unified. “The state department of pesticide regulation has to do that.”

Such attitudes, however, trigger alarm among many.

“I honestly believe the regulation of pesticides has been inadequate in terms of protecting children,” said Dr. Lynn Richman, a former EPA chief of pesticide regulation who now teaches public health at Johns Hopkins University.

In the face of medical uncertainty, the chemicals should simply be avoided altogether, advocates argue.

To CalPIRG’s Kaplan, the logic is simple: “You know there’s a potential risk there. You know that these chemicals aren’t needed. Why take the risk if you don’t need it?”