Pesticides in Schools

By mold recovery 9/08/2009 , , , 3 comments
Pesticides are routinely sprayed in school buildings and day care centers around the country. I didn't give this a second thought until my children became chemically sensitive earlier this year. Since that time I have become keenly aware of the misuse of these dangerous chemicals. This news story addresses the issue by allowing us to view the application process at an Atlanta day care center. Watch how quickly the infants are brought back into the room.

Fox News Story

I asked toxicologist Dr. Jack Thrasher for his reaction to this news story. Here is his reply.

"I am speechless and horrified at the same time. This is what one should expect because of the attitude of the entire pesticide industry from the manufacturers through the applicators. The toxicology testing on formulated pesticides is inadequate.

"The parent ingredient is usually tested for its toxicity by itself. It is then formulated into a mixture that contains other ingredients. The other ingredients are called inerts while the pesticide is called the active ingredient. The mixture is almost never tested for its toxicity. The inert ingredients can be heavy metals, solvents and manufacturing impurities to name a few.

"What is not considered by those who apply these pesticides is that infants and children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with pre-existing medical and genetic conditions are sensitive to almost all of the ingredients used in the formulation."

The good news is there are alternatives and organizations dedicated to education regarding this matter. This is the website I recommend if you are in the education field or a parent who would like to see your school district adopt less toxic options.

Alternatives to Using Pesticides in Schools. What is Integrated Pest Management?

The use of less toxic substances can be financially beneficial. This is one of those issues where everyone wins by adopting safer protocols. No testing. No remediation. Just different strategies.

Of course, if it were me, I would make mold testing mandatory at every school. And I'd put an air purifier in every classroom.

Then I would see what happens to our learning disability rate.

3 comments :

  1. Ruth ASeptember 9, 2009 at 8:06 AM

    Andrea, I sent the web link to my daughter, Ann, in Jonesboro, GA...she is a kindergarten teacher and has my 2 year old grandson in a day care, so I think she will pay attention to the video. A few years back there was a school in her area that had mold in the library....over the summer the humidity caused the growth of mold on all the books. The powers that be there went in and just wiped all the books down and put them back on the shelves, from what I heard. Could hardly believe it. Ann told me that when she went back to her class room at the end of the summer, there was mold on the inside of the storage closet in her room, that she had to deal with. This is why I am not living near my kids now...why I have to miss out on seeing them growing up. I see them twice a year if I'm lucky. I know this is not on the subject of pesticides in the schools, but the mold problem in the south is ubiquitous!!!

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  2. JennySeptember 9, 2009 at 12:21 PM

    Mrs. Fabry, I really appreciate your blog! I think you are a pioneer in the awareness of EI and MCS! You have certainly helped my in my journey..my 4 year old daughter's immune system was traumatized by her vaccinations when she was a baby and today she has a mild form of MCS, but she is allergic to EVERYTHING.
    I was wondering if you were aware that right now schools and bus companies are kicking up their "disinfecting" and using toxic chemicals to prevent swine flu? I just found that out...my daughter was stabilized this summer and now she went back to school and she is sickly and difficult. I am not sure what to do but I am thinking I may have to homeschool.
    Thanks for what you are doing! God give you strength...

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  3. AnonymousSeptember 10, 2009 at 11:10 AM

    Andrea, thank you for posting this information. If the report itself wasn’t shocking enough, the words that were said by the reporter at the end "you need to do it right when you do it around children" just got me going. It is never ‘right’ to use pesticides around children! Pesticides are poison for goodness sake, and they are formulated to kill living things via the central nervous system. When I worked in an office in Florida, they came and sprayed the baseboards/carpet every month until wet and then sprayed around the windows, all when we were there working. The best I could manage was to make it plain to those doing the applying to stay out of my space; I wasn’t unkind to them but they knew I meant it. Of course everyone around me thought I was loony because they can only use "safe and lawful" products. That was okay by me because I was an MCS 'veteran' by then and had heard that before. Elevators in Florida are also saturated, as they are sprayed monthly like everything else, and in many locations they are closed much of the time.
    I am sorry for the amount of chemical use in schools as it adds such a great deal to our young ones Total Load and is not healthful for staff either.
    Andrea, thank you again for everything you are doing. Emma

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