Pesticides and Butte County Schools

A 1997 study by the California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG), revealed that schools in California used pesticides that are suspected carcinogens, nerve toxins or chemicals that may cause birth defects or impaired growth and development. Eighty-seven percent of schools that participated in the survey reported using these herbicides, fungicides, insecticides or rodenticides. This knowledge, coupled with the National Cancer Institute's research that cancer is the number one disease-related cause of death in children, is cause for alarm. Helping to ensure a healthy environment for children to grow and learn, the California state legislature adopted a new law authored by Assembly Majority Leader Kevin Shelley that protects children from toxic chemicals at school. Named the Healthy Schools Act of 2000 (AB 2260), the legislation, under the responsibility of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, calls for school districts to distribute information on pesticide application and create an integrated pest management program for campuses.

Specifically, the law requires that schools inform staff, parents and guardians of students on the applications of pesticides, including when, where and what toxins will be used. AB 2260 requires that school districts provide recipients-parents, guardians, and staff-with yearly notification not only of what pesticide will be used within the school district, but also the active ingredient or ingredients within the chemical cocktail.

The school district must also post a warning sign at the specific campus including, "the product name, manufacturer's name, the United States Environmental Protection Agency's product registration number, intended date and areas of application, and reason for the pesticide application," according to the Act. The warning sign must be posted twenty-four hours prior to toxic chemical use and remain posted for 72 hours after application. However, if a parent wishes to be notified more than a day before the spraying, they must register with the school district to receive notification. The school district will alert the parent three days prior to the application telling them the product's name, its active ingredient, and where the school will use the toxin(s).

One caveat is that a school site can exempt itself from the 72-hour advanced notification. In the event that a campus finds itself in a pest emergency, the school district must only make an effort to provide advanced notification of intended pesticide use to registered recipients. However, the school district must still post warnings the day before the pesticide application at the school site.

Each school site must also keep on hand for public viewing the history of pesticide use on the campus for four years. Also, pest control services, which keep records of pesticide applications, must report toxin applications at schools within their pesticide use records.

Private schools are not required to follow the mandates of the Healthy Schools Act; according to the legislation it only affects "any facility used for public day care, kindergarten, elementary, or secondary school purposes. The term includes the buildings or structures, playgrounds, athletic fields, school vehicles, or any other area of school property visited or used by pupils" [italics added].

Actions within local school districts-Chico Unified, Durham Unified, Hamilton Elementary, and Biggs Unified-in response to the Healthy Schools Act have varied. Chico Unified School District as well as Durham and Hamilton expressed that they plan to meet the mandates of the Act.

The Chico Unified School District (CUSD) in order to comply with the law has included a few pages within their handbook of parents' rights and responsibilities, mailed out to parents every year. The section of the handbook includes a list of pesticides to be sprayed on school grounds (Invader HPX 20, Dragnet SFR, Catalyst, Eaton's Bait Blocks, Delta Dust, Wasp & Hornet Killer Plus, Demon EC, Gencor 5E, Roundup Pro). The pages also cover CUSD's intent and approach to integrated pest management. The integrated pest management policy is available for public view at the supervisor's office. Mary Leary with maintenance and operations at Chico Unified School District expressed that CUSD would be in compliance with all mandates of the Healthy Schools Act.

Durham Unified School District also plans to comply with the mandates of AB 2260. They provide a listing of pesticides (Roundup Pro, Phostoxin, Trimec, Weed Hoe, Surflan, Direx, Penulum, ProStar, Barricade, Pre-M, Rose Food-systemic, Wilco Ground Squirrel Bait, Hydro Prills Fertilizer, Avert, Knox Out 2 FM, Dragnet, and Tempo 20 WP) to be used in the upcoming year along with the reason for application. They publish this information in their Parent's Guide. They are also aware of all mandates of the Act, including posting notification.

Biggs Unified School District, though aware of the law, has not yet taken any action on the mandates of the Healthy Schools Act. They report being in the process of updating templates.

Hamilton Elementary School District sent a packet to parents on the Healthy Schools Act of 2000, informing parents of the opportunity to register along with an explanation of AB 2260. The packet also alerted parents to a notification the district will send out in September covering annual notification of pesticide use at its campuses.

Assemblyperson Shelley wrote the Healthy Schools Act with the idea of protecting children from harmful pesticides. Although districts do not apply pesticides during school hours, treatments occur during the school year, putting children at risk of exposure to harmful toxins through residue. Kids, with their smaller bodies and still-developing immune systems, are at a greater health risk when exposed to dangerous chemicals. Knowing what chemicals children will be exposed to and how often the exposure will occur can be the first step in knowing how to protect them from potential health dangers, such as childhood cancers, and developmental disorders.

For more technical information on the Healthy Schools Act of 2000 visit the Californian's for Pesticide Reform's website at calhealthyschools.org or call 888-CPR-4880.

This column originally appeared in September 2001 in the Chico Examiner.