Pesticide Use
Unexplained headaches, nausea, asthma and allergy flare-ups are some of the elusive symptoms of a child’s low-level exposure to pesticide chemicals. But on Nov. 8, the children at Mound Elementary School in Ventura received a more potent dose. This caused children to suffer immediate acute effects: dizziness, severe headache, stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, burning eyes and a foul taste in the mouth.
Despite the agricultural industry mantra, “California has the strictest pesticide regulations,” one of the worst-case pesticide application scenarios was allowed to be played out right across the street from 1,700 children. The pesticide was Lorsban and the method of application was speed sprayer. Lorsban is a chlorinated organophosphate chemical that, although unrestricted for agricultural use, is the subject of an Environmental Protection Agency ban because studies have shown that it may pose a serious threat to the nervous systems and brain development of children.
Apart from their toxicity, organophosphates are known to drift significantly. The speed sprayer guarantees drift even in optimal wind and weather conditions. And, as lab tests have confirmed, the chemical persists on our campuses long after the speed sprayer is gone.
The Ventura Unified School District has adopted a precautionary approach to pesticide use and has ceased use of toxic pesticides on all of its campuses. This precautionary approach should extend beyond the borders of our campuses.
The elusive nature of pesticide-related illness coupled with the pervasive state of mind, “they wouldn’t be spraying this stuff if it wasn’t safe,” helps to keep parents and the community uninformed about pesticides. Pesticide use is as American as apple pie. We use pesticides in our homes, on our pets, in our yards; pesticides are applied on roadways, in parks and in public buildings. The use of pesticides is so universal that its familiarity has bred an illusion of safety.
Scientific studies, however, reveal that our reliance on these substances is dreadfully misplaced. Numerous studies have linked pesticides to leukemia, lymphoma, blood disorders, Parkinson’s disease, neurological impairment including attention deficit disorder and learning disabilities, and cancers the of the brain, breast, prostate, testes and ovaries.
And they are allowed to spray this stuff within 45 feet of a kindergarten playground?
What are the long-term health effects our children face as a result of attending school next to chemically dependent agriculture?
We must find a way to help growers implement safe, nontoxic alternatives and work together as a community to ensure that our children come first. We can talk about buffer zones, application methods, long-term effects, lab tests and notification. But let’s not forget: Those children were poisoned, it is an outrage, and we should do what it takes to make sure it never happens again.
MARY HAFFNER
Ventura
