AMA reports "significant increases" in pesticide poisonings of children in schools since 1998

A friend sent us this alert today and we thought it might be something our readers would be interested in.

A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports "significant increases" in pesticide poisonings of children in schools since 1998. The majority were due to the use of insecticides inside schools. Study authors also addressed chronic exposure to herbicides due to repeated applications on school yards, saying "the potential for chronic health effects from pesticide exposures at schools should not be dismissed."

There are currently no laws specifically regulating these matters in U.S. schools.

A piece of legislation that would reduce these chemical risk factors in schools is currently stalled in the House of Representatives, and it needs your support. The Student Environmental Protection Act (SEPA) is critical to providing a safer and healthier environment for our children to learn. It is the result of an unprecedented agreement between nonprofit organizations as well as groups representing the chemical and pest management industry and agriculture.

SEPA provides basic levels of protection for children and school staff from the use of pesticides in public school buildings and on school grounds. This important piece of legislation helps public schools implement cost-effective and safer approaches to pest management that rely on a range of non-chemical and chemical alternatives and requires notice be provided to parents and school staff when pesticides are used.

More information and petition to congress here:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/sepa-petition.htm

Please also forward this message to your network. We don't need more pesticide use around our children!

David R. Kaufer
President and Chief Green Officer
GreenforGood.com