Seattle, Washington- -According to a report (PDF 94k) issued today by three Northwest environmental groups, the Seattle school district used cancer-causing and other hazardous pesticides on its grounds during the September 1996 to August 1997 review period. However, the district was found to use fewer pesticides than the Portland (Oregon) school district over a one-year comparison period. [See chart comparing Eugene, Portland and Seattle school district pesticide use.] The groups are calling on the Seattle district to adopt a written policy for indoor and landscape pest management that puts protection of children's health first.

"It is not acceptable for public schools to put childen at risk of exposure to harmful pesticides when non-toxic alternatives are available," according to Becky Riley, Program Associate with the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP), one of the groups releasing the report. "Children are especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of many toxic chemicals because their bodies are smaller and still developing."

Among the report's findings are:

* The active ingredients of at least 7 of the 18 pesticide products used by the district are classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as possible or probable human carcinogens. Cancer testing results for the active ingredients of 9 other products are either not known or equivocal.

* Six of the pesticides used are nerve poisons.

* Ingredients in 2 of the pesticides used by the Seattle district are classified by EPA as developmental or reproductive toxins, and an ingredient of 1 is a suspected hormone (endocrine) disruptor. Ingredients in 4 of the pesticides are listed by EPA as posing other health risks, and 5 are classified as environmental hazards.

* The district applied herbicides to the landscapes at 62 school sites, and other pesticide sprays and baits were used in or around 22 school sites.

Cancer is now the second leading cause of death in children aged 1 to 14. Rates of acute lyphocytic leukemia increased 27 percent in children between 1973 and 1990, and brain cancer increased nearly 40 percent from 1973 to 1994, according to the National Cancer Institute. "Many experts suspect these increases in childhood cancer may be related to exposures to chemicals in the environment," explained Riley. Numerous epidemiological studies over the past few decades have supported this conclusion by finding links between home and garden pesticide use and elevated rates of several childhood cancers, including acute lymphocytic leukemia and brain cancer.

The risks of pesticide use at school are not just theoretical, according to Elizabeth Loudon of the Washington Toxics Coalition, another of the groups releasing the report. "In mid-March, children and teachers at a Camano Island school experienced nausea and headaches when fumes from herbicides being applied outdoors entered classrooms," Loudon noted. "In an appalling incident in 1993, over 65 students and teachers reported illness after a Portland-area school was contaminated with nerve-poisoning pesticides sprayed for sugar ants. The school was closed early for the year after several cleanings failed to end health complaints," Loudon continued.

"Given these sobering statistics and incidents, schools must take steps to protect children's health by dramatically reducing or eliminating the use of toxic chemicals on school property. Pesticides should be used only as a last resort, when non-chemical alternatives are not available, and if a pest poses an imminent health and safety risk to children or school staff," Riley emphasized.

As just one area for improvement, the groups note that the Seattle district uses the herbicide Casoron, whose active ingredient is classified as a possible human carcinogen, in school shrub beds. This granular herbicide emits a continuous "vapor" into the soil that prevents the roots of newly-sprouted plants from developing. Children may be exposed to the granules or to the vapors, which are notorious for drifting or leaching off the treatment site and damaging nearby vegetation.

"Weeds and grasses in shrub beds do not pose a risk to children's health, and their presence does not justify the use of possible cancer-causing pesticides. There are many non-toxic alternatives the district could adopt, including hand weeding, or learning to design and appreciate more naturalized school landscapes." Riley noted.

Reports for three Northwest school districts were jointly released by the Washington Toxics Coalition, NCAP, and the Oregon Center for Environmental Health. The groups lauded the Seattle school district for its policy of not spraying classrooms for head lice. The groups also noted that the Seattle school district uses a considerably smaller volume of herbicides on its landscapes than the Portland (Oregon) district, though the two districts have roughly the same number of schools. The Seattle school district also reported only one-third the number of insecticide and rodenticide treatments as the Portland district during the same one year time period.

However, the groups noted that the Seattle district does not have a pesticide use policy that has been adopted by the school board, and does not have a general pesticide use minimization goal. The district applies pesticides on school days, sometimes when school is in session. The district also does not require advance notification to parents if pesticides are used either indoors or on school landscapes.

The groups are urging the Seattle school district to follow the lead of other districts around the country that have adopted strict pesticide use reduction or elimination policies and practices. School districts with such policies and practices include San Francisco, Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids (Michigan), Eugene (Oregon), and many others. In addition to a pesticide minimization goal, the groups urge the district to provide advance notification and at least 72 hour posting if pesticides are used.

Copies of the three school district pesticide use reports will be available on NCAPÕs Web site: http://www.pesticides.org.

NCAP is a grassroots, regional organization that promotes sustainable resource management, prevention of pest problems, use of alternatives to pesticides, and the right to be free from pesticide exposure. Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP); PO Box 1393; Eugene, OR 97440 (541) 344-5044