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SCHOOL
PESTICIDE INCIDENTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY
A Selection of Student and School Staff Poisonings
Share your pesticide exposure incident by filling
out Beyond Pesticides'
Pesticide Incident Record (PIR)form.
PIRs provide a weighty and powerful testimony in
support of reforming the nation's pesticide policies
and practices. You may also want to learn more about
What To Do In A Pesticide Emergency.
NORTHEAST
West Hartford, Connecticut: A teacher, Joan
Dillon, was exposed to pesticides while working at
King Philip School. The pesticide Dursban (chlorpyrifos)
was applied by a commercial pest control applicator
to control roaches inside the school. The pesticide
had been applied in various locations throughout the
school on a regular basis, from every two weeks to
every two months. Dermal and inhalation exposure to
the chemical cause lead her to feel extremely ill.
As a result of the exposure, she experienced the
original incident of contact dermatitis. She was
lead to believe that the pesticide was safe. A
medical professional diagnosed her symptoms as
pesticide poisoning. No notification was given that
pesticides were being regularly applied at the
school She is now chemically sensitized due to the
pesticide poisoning. (Contact Joan N. Dillon at
860-521-3411.)
Danielson, Connecticut: A student and his
family requested that his school stop using harmful
pesticides on the high school's football field and
surrounding grounds, which caused the student to
become ill, resulting in his inability to attend
school for a total of eight weeks. The student was
then placed on a Section 504 Plan, which provided
the student the option for staying home when he felt
ill from chemicals and that tutoring would be
provided. However, the student and his family
complained that the tutoring was inadequate and that
the student missed out on other educational
opportunities and social events at the school. The
student's family filed a complaint under Section 504
of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Title II of
the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).
Section 504 prohibits discrimination on the basis of
disability by a recipient of Federal funds from the
U.S. Department of Education. The ADA prohibits
discrimination on the basis of disability by public
entities. The U.S. Department of Education, Region
I, stated, "The ADA has essentially extended the
anti-discrimination prohibitions embodied under
Section 504 to all state and local governmental
entities, including public school systems." In its
letter to resolve the complaint, the school district
attached an addendum to the students Section 504
Plan, stating that the school district would use
alternatives to using toxic pesticides that cause
the student to become ill. (Contact info not
available.)
Burlington, Massachusetts: The Burlington
Board of Health Environmental Engineer, Todd
Dresser, reports that after several pesticide odor
complaints and the continued misapplication of
pesticides in the high school made officials became
concerned about the potential exposure risk to the
building occupants. Poor housekeeping, improper food
storage in the classrooms) created some of the
insect problems the school was having - which was
addressed by the school staff applying pesticides.
Todd wrote up in his report that "While inspecting
pesticide odor complaints, it became apparent that
some of the applicators had not fully reviewed the
pesticide label and application instructs. In
several cases, it appeared that the applicator had
thought that if a little pesticide was good, then a
lot must be great…Th maintenance staff was observed
applying pesticides inside the high school that were
labeled for outdoor application only…[T]he physical
and chemical qualities of the product suggested that
the material would persist in the building and would
not quickly dissipate. As a result, it is possible
that some occupants may have been exposed to
elevated concentrations of this pesticide…A final
and continuing observation is the failure to post
all the necessary state notifications prior to and
after all pesticide applications within the
schools." (Contact: Todd H. Dresser,
Environmental Engineer, Burlington Board of Health,
29 Center Street, Burlington, MA 01803, 781-270-1956
or tdresser@burlmass.org.)
Westport, New York: After first being exposed
to DDT in kindergarten, a 14 year old boy by the
name of Edward Barnett was again exposed to
pesticides at his middle school. The school's
janitor found an old can of Raid and proceeded to
spray it on windowsills for cluster flies. Many
students suffered symptoms of exposure and were out
of school for several days after. Edward now suffers
chronic fatigue, asthma, and loss of concentration
and coordination. He also had to undergo a sauna-detox
program. (Contact Edward Barnett 518-962-4708.)
Greece, New York: On May 10, 2001, the New
York State Office of Children and Family Services
closed a day care center in Greece, NY after
children were exposed to an insecticide. The day
care center, Childtime Children's Center, was issued
an immediate suspension of the center's license,
displacing up to 92 children. A spokesman for the
Office of Children and Family Services in Albany,
Bill Van Slyke, stated that state officials received
a report that the building had a serious ant problem
and therefore on April 30, officials from the
agency's Rochester office served a violation notice
to Childtime for the ant problem. During a routine
follow-up check of the center on May 9, state
officials noticed pesticides had been sprayed. Van
Slyke stated that Childtime was ordered to remove
the children from the treated rooms and to
thoroughly clean those rooms. However, in the
afternoon of May 10, the children had not been
removed from the treated rooms and cleanup was not
to the state's satisfaction, resulting in a
suspension of the center's license. (Contact Lynn
Braband at the New York State Community IPM Program
at Cornell University.)
Locust Valley, New York: A 45 year old woman
has brain damage and severe chemical sensitivity
from exposure to pyrethroid insecticides (Demon,
active ingredient cypermethrin, and Demand, active
ingredient lambda-cyhalothrin) that were applied
twice a month in the school where she worked during
the fall of 1999. She had an accommodation agreement
with her employers that no such pesticides would be
applied without her advance notification. This did
not happen and she suffered symptoms of poisoning
and neurological damage. She did not learn of the
applications until the following April when she had
residues analyzed, which showed heavy concentrations
of these pesticides. Her doctors have told her that
the damage is irreversible and a neurophysiological
evaluation estimated a loss of 24 points in her IQ.
(Contact information not available.)
Brooklyn, New York: The New York Daily News
reported that ten second-graders, a teacher, and two
other adults were poisoned by the pesticide
malathion on September 14, 2000 after a bottle of
the pesticide broke on the floor of their classroom.
The school, Public School 21 in Bedford-Stuyvesant,
was evacuated. One student reported that it smelled
really bad and they had to cover their noses. A
spokeswoman for the Board of Education, Pam McDonnel,
stated that the incident occurred when the teacher
opened a storage closet in the classroom and the
glass bottle filled with ten ounces of malathion
fell off a shelf. Margie Feinberg with the Board of
Education said, "We don't know how it got there or
why it was in the closet, and the superintendent has
launched a major investigation into it. That
insecticide is not permitted anywhere inside our
school facilities." Several children vomited and ten
children, the teacher and two other school employees
were treated and released from the Brookdale
University Hospital. (Contact Pam Hadad Hurst
with NY Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides at
518-426-8246 or nycap@crisny.org.)
New Rochelle, New York: A student attending a
local private school where pesticides are currently
being used to prevent West Nile Virus falls ill for
several days. While her daughter continues to show
symptoms of pesticide exposure, the child's mother
tries to get the school to stop the harmful
pesticide use and implement integrated pest
management.(contact Ellen Weininger - wweininger@aol.com.)
Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania: A teacher continues
to have numerous health effects due to routine
monthly spraying that occurred at the school where
she taught. One of the routine treatments occurred
while she was in her classroom preparing for school
to open. The commercial applicator sprayed
pesticides in the halls and rooms of the school,
including her classroom. As a result of this
exposure, she has become intolerant to chemicals,
has had muscle, bone and joint problems, and
reproductive and immune system dysfunction. She is
now disabled and no longer able to work. Dr. Zamm of
Kingston New York identified the cause of her
illness to be related to pesticide exposure while at
school. (Contact Jane Thomassen at 570-842-1945.)
College Park, Maryland: A teacher was exposed
to pesticides while teaching. The application
occurred right out side the window of the room she
was teaching in. Several people, including her
students complained of health problems. She states
that her whole life has been altered by this
incident. She continues to experience difficulty
standing, tightness of chest, burning in lungs, and
reduced lung capacity. (Contact Lynn Penner at
619-488-4026).
Baltimore, Maryland: Elevated levels of
arsenic in one of Winfield Elementary School's two
wells have been found, with the cause traced to the
use of arsenic-based pesticides applied around the
wells. The contaminated well tested arsenic levels
at 23 parts per billion (ppb) - well above the
proposed standard of 10 ppb. The contaminated well
was capped, but forced to turn back on within hours
to keep up with the demand of the school. They are
using a "lead and lag" system, which means that the
safe well runs until it can no longer provide enough
water for the school, and then the
arsenic-contaminated well switches on, pumping water
into the holding tank, where it is diluted by water
from the safe well. Acting facilities director and
construction supervisor Raymond Prokop said that the
school system is awaiting cost estimates on drilling
a new well. (see The Baltimore Sun, October 11,
2001, Jennifer McMenamin, "Arsenic found in 1 well
at Winfield Elementary.")
Glenwood, Maryland: Veronika is the mother of
two children who unknowingly became hyper-sensitive
to chemicals due to unintentional exposure to
pesticides when they were young. One of her
daughters experiences migraine headaches,
respiratory problems, fluid draining from her ears,
right hand tremors, low body temperature, and
dizziness after exposure to a variety of chemicals.
Veronika's other daughter exhibits fatigue,
concentration disturbance, muscle aches, increased
urinary frequency, diarrhea, rash, and decreased
body temperature from a variety of different
chemical exposures as well. After the children's
doctor declared that they should not participate in
school activities when experiencing such symptoms,
Veronika took the children out of school.
(Contact Veronika Carella at 410-442-0270.)
SOUTHEAST
Charleston, South Carolina: On November 12,
1998 pesticide was mistakenly sprayed into a
classroom instead of into the building's foundation,
soaking carpets and desks where students sat the
next morning. The desk, chairs, walls and floors
were saturated with a termiticide resulting in the
children's clothing, skin and book bags becoming
contaminated. More than two months had passed before
the school attempted to do a thorough cleanup after
the spill. Neither the school nor the school
district had any formal policies or procedures in
place to deal with such an accident. Consequently,
the school did not notify parents until February,
1999. Students and staff used the two classrooms day
after day for two and a half months before a parent
found out about the misapplication. A schoolteacher
allowed the students to clean up the chemical with
their bare hands, because the teacher was unaware
that the sticky substance was an extremely toxic
substance. One student's mother reports that her
daughter's shoes were damp from the pesticides
sprayed in the classroom and, not knowing, she
continued to wear those shoes every day (she has
kept the shoes in a plastic bag since as evidence of
the exposure). Furthermore, one particular student
developed a growth on her right breast that doctors
attributed to chemical exposure. Another student
already had an allergy to Dursban and resulting from
his exposure, he has experienced hypersensitivity to
chemicals. At least 40 children were affected by the
pesticide exposure. Some are still ill. The most
common health effects experienced were aggravated
asthma and coughing, weight loss and loss of
appetite, rashes, peeling hands and feet, headaches,
dizziness and nausea. The parents continue to
monitor the exposed students' health, as the school
board has not accepted accountability for the
students' ailments. (For more info contact
Charlotte Jenkins at 330-379-8679), Luisa Sadeghy at
843-971-0783 or luisa5924@aol.com or Debbie Riddick
843-849-0979.)
Charleston, South Carolina: Students and
teachers at St. Andrews Elementary School have
continued to complain of headaches, vomiting, and
hyperactive, anxiety disorders for several years
that they attribute to mold, dust, and chemical
fumes. Parents and teachers complained to the school
board many years ago, resulting in very little
change in the school's environment. Small efforts
have been made to investigate the reason behind such
long-term illness within the teacher and student
population. The school's air conditioners were found
to be exceptionally moldy, clogging the filters with
dust and mildew. One parent has proceeded to remove
her child from school for a total of 52 days as a
result of the child's particular sensitivity.
Students' anxiety and inability to concentrate have
prompted a local doctor to blame chemicals and mold
within the school's air on many diagnosed cases of
Attention Deficit Disorder. (Contact info not
available.)
Lexington, South Carolina: Cindy Popp was
exposed to routine Dursban Pro spraying at both her
apartment complex and the school in which she
teaches. She was not warned of the pesticide use at
her school and, as a result, she experienced sever
headaches, facial numbness and nausea r 2-3 days
after the exposure. She has become increasingly
sensitized to chemical exposure and was able to get
the school to discontinue pesticide use altogether.
However, the apartment complex continues its use of
Dursban Pro. (Contact Cindy Popp (803)996-0930 or
cpopp911@aol.com)
Columbia, South Carolina: A teacher who has
pesticide sensitivity from being exposed to
pesticides over the past 20 years requested that her
school stop spraying pesticides and now her health
has greatly improved. The pesticide spraying in
another school district also affected her adopted
son. Since spraying has stopped at his elementary
school, his health is much better. (Contact
Beyond Pesticides.)
Asheville, North Carolina: Julie Payne, an
elementary school teacher at the Oakley Elementary
School, noticed that several students and some
teachers were showing similar symptoms that
concerned her. She starting asking questions and
what she found out made her transfer her own
children to another school and quit her job. Julie
discovered that the school was using an insecticide
fogger, Kill Zone, in the school. When she informed
the school's administrators, they seemed
unconcerned. On January 19, 2001 the school
distributed a memo to the teachers stating that the
school is "periodically spraying for bugs. Be sure
to place anything consumable in a covered container
before you leave each day. [The school will]
generally try to spray on Friday, but sometimes it
is during the week." Soon after the memo, Julie
noticed two of her students complaining of chest
pains and others had stomachaches, skin rashes and
respiratory problems. She tried to get some answers
from the school, but got the run around, first they
denied te application in the first place, then she
proved that the foggers actually were used. Julie
thinks that the classrooms were not properly
ventilated and that the continual use of the foggers
(8 of 24 canisters that were "checked-out" by the
assistant custodian, were used) resulted in residues
on the desks and tables. (Contact: Julie Payne,
read her full story at http://www.getipm.com/our-loved-ones/stories/school-ashville.htm.)
Evans, Georgia: A daycare worker was
continually being exposed to Dursban, active
ingredient chlorpyrifos, as the school hired a
contractor that sprays the chemical twice a month.
She has developed symptoms that her doctors call
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. She has also had severe
liver problems. (Contact crenick@ratedg.com.)
Key Largo, Florida: Several teachers were
exposed to pesticides while at work. The pesticides
used were MBI Fiber Fresh, Saga, Tempo II, and
Malathione. Five teachers are now diagnosed with
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. They stated that
there was inadequate ventilation in the rooms where
the treatment occurred resulting in dermal,
inhalation, ingestion (residue on utensils) as the
major routes of exposure. (Contact Dana Ellen
Hope at 305-664-0178 or Carole Rutt at 305-852-7770
or Ruth Howell at 305-453-9950 or Corinne Hughes at
305-853-0628.)
Coco Beach, Florida: A student, already
sensitive to certain chemicals, was exposed to a
pesticide while at school. Her mother thinks that
her sensitivity started from the exposure to
pesticides at home. After her exposure, the student
experienced a range of symptoms from bronchial
spasms, bronchitis, asthma, flu-like symptoms to
affecting her nervous system. When questioning the
school about the chemicals she could have been
exposed to, the school said the pesticide used was
"safe." The student's mother believed the school
would never use anything that would harm a child.
(Family wishes to remain anonymous.)
Sarasota, Florida: Ann Chrisman was a pre-K
teacher in a school building recently remodeled due
to poor ventilation and microbial contamination of
fungal growth in the classrooms. However, even after
the remodeling of the classroom, Chrisman and the
other teachers began to experience flu like symptoms
such as aching, tightness in chest, fatigue, burning
eyes and rashes. Chrisman also remembers the
continuous spraying of pesticides throughout the
school year that she believes made the teachers'
symptoms worse. The faculty began to label their
symptoms as "sick building syndrome" and the school
responded by using On 1, a deodorizer, on the air
conditioning system. Also the school used Malador,
an odor counteractant chemical. After exposure to
these harsh chemicals that had been applied quite
carelessly, Chrisman grew even more ill. She had to
leave her job and was eventually diagnosed with
multiple chemical sensitivity. After attempting to
return to her school for the second time, her
symptoms returned and she had to abandon her
teaching job altogether. (Contact info not
available.)
Assumption Parish, Louisiana: In August 1994,
the Assumption Parish school officials closed Pierre
Part middle and primary schools after a
misapplication of a flea pesticide containing the
active ingredient Lindane. Although the chemical is
not supposed to be used indoors, the school
custodian sprayed the pesticide in 14 temporary
classrooms. A few parents reported medical
complaints. The Lindane that was purchased by the
school was not registered in the state. Also, the
operator of the pesticide was required to be
licensed, when he was not. (Source: Ferstel,
Vicki. 1994. "2nd Pierre Part School Closed After
Pesticide Contamination. The Advocate. August 30.
Baton Rouge, LA.)
MIDWEST
Fort Scott, Kansas: A teacher was exposed to
several pesticides that were applied in the school
building. The school janitor did the routine
spraying for cockroaches. The teacher reported that
as soon as she opened her office door the fumes from
the pesticides overcame her. She stated that the
school janitor sprayed again a week later and that
the smell of the pesticides was very strong in all
parts of the school. She became chemically
sensitized from this particular pesticide-poisoning
incident. The Kansas Department of Agriculture
conducted n investigation, which they found many
"inappropriate actions," but nothing illegal.
Medical tests conducted showed pesticide poisoning.
Since the incident, she has tried, repeatedly, to
return to work, but has suffered severe reactions
each time. In spite of her health problems, the
school district refuses to stop spraying pesticides.
She has filed worker's compensation, but it has been
denied twice. She is concerned for the kids in the
school who have no idea why the don't feel well.
After that incident that made her sick, many
students complained of headaches, chest pains,
rashes, allergy symptoms, and some asthmatic
students had to bring their breathing machines to
school. A teacher's aide was transferred to the high
school because she couldn't breathe in the school
building. (Contact Linda Baker at 316-223-6734 or
eljaybaker@terraworld.net)
Lake in the Hills, Illinois: A mother is
trying to reach an agreement with her son's school
district over their use of pesticides. Her son has
neurological problems that are aggravated when
pesticides are applied on school grounds.
(anonymous)
Litchfield, Illinois: A pesticide drift
incident occurred at the Litchfield Middle School by
a negligent pesticide applicator, causing 100
students, teachers and parents to become sick in May
1998. Two children required hospital attention. (Russel
Schnitzer, Wisconsin Strategic Pesticide Information
Project, 608-294-9026, schnitze@chorus.net.)
Walcott, Iowa: A twelve-year-old boy that
attends the Walcott Jr. High School has had severe
headaches and bouts of vomiting about twice a month
and sometimes twice a week. His parents always
thought it was due to stress in school because in
the summer when he is not attending school, he would
not get the headaches or vomit. A boy attending a
grade school in Blue Grass, part of the same school
district, Scott County Community Schools, came home
from school with a severe rash. Due to health
concerns, the parents of these two boys called the
school district and were told that all the schools
within the district spray pesticides, although on
different schedules. Some schools, they were told,
spray once a month and some spray once a week. The
pesticide application made at the grade school
coincide with the exact week that the boy came home
with the severe rash. The parents are not only
concerned about their children's health and exposure
to pesticides at school, but are also concerned for
other parents in their community schools who may not
be aware of the schools spraying the chemicals.
(Contact Ms. Yakish at M.Yakish@Worldnet.com.)
Lewisburg, Ohio: Beginning in 1991, a mother
noticed that her son was sleeping a lot, had nose
bleeds, headaches, pasty skin, dark circles under
his eyes when he returned to school after summer
break. After talking with other parents of children
at the same school, who talked of more severe
symptoms, she realized there was a problem. Parents
noticed that the children had more extreme symptoms
on a Tuesday that was later correlated with a
pesticide application. The pesticide applicator was
spraying chemicals every month a half hour before
school began. Later she found out that the children
were exposed to pesticides at a school only open for
two years. NIOSH was called in to cleanup the
pesticides in the school and stated that the school
was the worse one ever tested. Dursban and Chlordane
(although banned for several years before the
building was ever built) were found in the air
filter. The children were taken out of the school,
some placed in different schools and some were
provided home schooling. All should improvements
once removed from the treated buildings. Some
children are reported to have permanent damage and
some families sold their homes and moved to a
different school district. (Contact Pam Apple at
937-962-4705 or applenet@infinet.com.)
St. Louis, Missouri: On April 24, 2002,
several students were sent to the nearby hospital
after a wasp spray was used at the Belvins
Elementary School. A total of 36 students were sent
to the hospital to be checked out, nine were sent
immediately by ambulance. The previous day, a number
of fourth and fifth grade students complained of
breathing problems during their P.E. class. A wasp
pesticide is expected to be the cause of the initial
health complaints, asthmatic and allergic symptoms,
the students were having. It is believed that the
other students paniced and were scared and were sent
to the hospital as a precaution. (Source: St.
Louis Post-Dispatch, reporter Heather Ratcliffe,
618-659-3637 or hratcliffe@post-dispatch.com.)
Bolivar, Missouri: Marie O'Hara attended
Southwest Baptist University and lived in the
university's dormitories for three years. During
these three years Marie experienced such symptoms as
irritability, dizziness, red ears, numbness of arms,
uncoordinated, nausea, muscle cramping, and
lethargy. Although Marie could not pinpoint the
cause of her health problems, she decided to leave
school the summer before her senior year and work
instead. The following year, Marie returned to the
university and within one month, Marie was exposed
to pesticides. Her acute symptoms were headache,
numbness over her entire body, swollen eyes, muscle
spasms, upper and lower gastrointestinal
disturbances, chest pain, and a burning respiratory
tract. Marie finally was able to identify her
original symptoms with pesticide exposure. Her
current symptoms were so disabling that she was
unable to complete her work at the university. The
administration promised to terminate all pesticide
spraying during business hours, but failed to do so.
Marie was, once again, exposed to pesticide spray
while paying a parking ticket in the school's
administrative building. Overall, the cumulative
effects of her pesticide exposure have resulted in
disabling neurological damage and hypersensitivity
to odors. Unfortunately, these problems have been
diagnosed as permanent. (For more info, contact
Thrasher & Associates (818)366-9625.)
SOUTHWEST
Hidalgo County, Texas: A Texas
elementary school was evacuated and shut down for a
week in May, 2005 after insecticides that were
sprayed on a nearby cotton field drifted onto the
school property and sickened students and staff
members. The chemicals sprayed contained the active
ingredients lambda-cyhalothrin, a
synthetic pyrethroid, and dimethoate, an
organophosphate. Dozens of students at San Carlos
Elementary School were sickened by the exposure and
experienced symptoms of nausea and skin and
breathing irritation. Over 550 other students and
staff members also came in contact with the
chemicals, reports . The Texas Department of
Agriculture is currently investigating whether the
farmer who sprayed the chemicals is at fault.
(See
Daily News story and full story reported by
KGBT4 News).
Tierra Amarillo, New Mexico: A boy is sick
and must stay home and out of school because of
pesticides used in his school. The boy has suffered
from asthma attacks, flu like symptoms, headaches,
stomachaches, dizziness, and loss of appetite since
the initial exposure to pesticides while attending
his school. His parents took him out of school and
his health improved. Because of financial reasons,
his parents are having difficulties in working full
time and home schooling their son. (Due to a
pending lawsuit, contact information is
confidential.)
Abilene, Texas: Lisa Tuttle is concerned
about the children attending the local public
schools. The school district is continuing to apply
Dursban (active ingredient chlorpyrifos) in the
school while the children are present. Her daughter
as well as children of 10 other families are
experiencing health problems she believes is a
result of the pesticide exposure. Symptoms include
headaches, nausea, rashes, aching joints, anxiety,
severe depression, and seizures. She reports that
the last time Dursban was applied in the school was
March 11, 2002. Dursban is currently undergoing a
phase-out (as of December 31, 2001 all Dursban
products can no longer be sold, but the products can
continue to be used until all existing stock is used
up) because of the extraordinary risk the chemical
poses to children. (Contact Lisa Tuttle at
915-793-9624 or lisa.tuttle@worldnet.att.net.)
Phoenix, Arizona: On January 28, 1986, Melody
Baker say the Palm Lane Elementary School spraying
the athletc field while her daughters third-grade
P.E. class ran around the track. She immediately
stopped the applicator and found that he was
spraying Vertac Formula 40, a phenoxy herbicide
containing the active ingredient 2,4-D, to kill
clover on the fields. That night her daughter
suffered a severe asthma attack, her eyes burned and
she had a headache, which Melody suspects is a
result of the chemical exposure. Eight months later
again, the herbicide was being sprayed while
students were at school. After doing her own
investigation, she discovered that several other
children experience symptoms. Once educated about
the toxicity and hazards of the chemical, school
district banned the herbicide from being used on
school property. (Source: Greene, Terry. 1987.
"Grounds for Complaint." New Times. May 13-19, pps
22-35.)
WEST
Fontana, California: A young girl, Chrissy
Garavito, died from a pesticide exposure in 1998.
She laid down on her school's field during softball
practice and died shortly thereafter. The Fontana
Unified School District was using pesticides
according to label directions; no misuse was
reported or suspected. Chrissy was Class President
for two years at Fontana High School, cheerleader,
and an all-star softball player. There are seven
dead children within a mile of her house, which
Chrissy's mother thinks is linked to organophosphate
pesticide poisoning. Chrissy's brother, Matt Matelko
has been diagnosed with the same heart defect that
caused his sister's death after he was exposed to
pesticides in his classroom. When Matt was in
kindergarten, the school had installed two fly
sprayers in his classroom that went off every 15
minutes. Matt is now extremely sensitive to
chemicals. When he is exposed to pesticides he has
an irregular heartbeat, his glands swell, and he
develops rashes over his body. Matt is now
homeschooled by his mother, Janine Matelko.
(Contact Janine Matelko at 909-679-3900 or cmgo22@aol.com.)
Ventura, California: On November 8, 2000,
students, staff and parents arriving at Mound School
for school were exposed to Lorsban 4ETM (chlorpyrifos),
which had drifted from the lemon orchard across the
street from the school onto school property. The
grower was applying the pesticide with a speed
sprayer/air blaster at 7:30 a.m. as students were on
their way to school. The County Agriculture
Commissioner (CAC) was called, and the application
was stopped at approximately 8:15 a.m. Both staff
and parents reported seeing a foul-smelling "fog"
drifting across the street and over to the school.
Students were kept inside for the day and the
outdoor play equipment and lunch tables were
subsequently washed down. The following weekend the
grower again used the same pesticide by the same
application method, this time observed by three CAC
employees who reported no drift. A parent on site,
however, observed the same smell at the beginning of
the application, and when she returned three hours
later the smell permeated the entire campus. On the
following Tuesday, more swabs were taken for the lab
analysis, this time some from desk and classroom
surfaces in the rooms closest to the grove. These
swabs were collected by a private individual, at the
request of the school district, and came back
positive for residue. Almost 40 individuals on-site
during the initial drift incident reported symptoms
ranging from dizziness, blurry vision, nausea, chest
tightness, and, in some children, on-going diarrhea.
Two children were sent home because of symptoms of
pesticide exposure. (Contact Community and
Children's Advocates Against Pesticide Poisoning (CCAAPP)
at ccaapp4u@aol.com or 805-987-7305.)
Sonora, California: A mother of an 8 year
girl recently diagnosed with Juvenile Pilocytic
Astrocytoma(brain tumor), expresses deep concern for
her daughter's and her community's health, as other
children and adults in the foothills of the Sierra
Nevadas are suffering from brain tumors or other
cancerous growths on their bodies. Because their
town is so small, but incidents of brain cancer are
so high, the mother believes that the cancer can be
linked to pesticides or other chemicals used in the
wooded area. She suggests the possible link between
her community's termite problem and the
cancer-causing termiticide chlordane that is used in
her community. Also, she suggests that chemicals are
frequently used to mine, blast and, separate
minerals in the town as well. She is in the process
of investigating and taking action against this
serious problem. (For more info contact Marjorie
Thoman-Lomas at 209-588-0188).
Woodland Hills, California: A teacher was
exposed to pesticides that were applied for
argentine ants at her school. The teacher stated
that there were multiple sprayers using different
treatments. Outdoor pesticide applications drifted
inside. Applications made inside the school also
occurred even though there was no ventilation
inside. The teacher stated that two others are
seriously ill and two clerks are unable to work
because of repeat illnesses. (Contact information
not available.)
Arroyo Grande, California: Annie Steele is a
substitute teacher that was called in to work in
February 2001. As she was arriving, along with the
students, she noticed that an herbicide was being
applied on the school grounds. She found out that
Round-Up, a product containing the active ingredient
glyphosate, was used. No one in the school received
prior-notice of the application. Annie is chemically
sensitive. As a result of the exposure, she
complained of itchy skin and eyes and nose bleeds.
This is not the first time she saw a pesticide being
applied while students were in the treatment area.
She states that while substitute teaching at another
school, the school was spraying a pesticide in the
cafeteria while students were in line. (Contact:
Annie Steele at annies@slownet.org.)
California: A teacher working in the
California public school system for 36 years, has
severe problems with pesticides being used at her
school. The teacher claims that her reactions are
more severe than most. She claims that 50% of her
students have said they have headaches, 50% reported
being extremely tired, 65% said they were in a bad
or depressed mood, and 25% said they had burning
eyes and/or sore throats during the week following a
pesticide application of Tempo 20WP (20% cyfulthrin)
(information obtained from the County Department of
Agriculture Investigation Report). The application
was legal as per label information. No notice was
provided. The school refused to inform her on
several occasions even with a specific face verbal
and written request she made due to her pesticide
sensitivity. School management expressed concern to
her that if notices were posted on doors leading
into the cafeterias and other areas around campus,
panic might result over the kids being exposed to
pesticides. (Contact Stephen Tvedten at Safe2Use
at 616-677-2850 or info@safe2use.com.)
Pahoa, Hawaii: Seven students and two school
staff were sent to the hospital after being exposed
to a pesticide that drifted from a neighboring farm
onto the Pahoa Intermediate and High School
property. The students and staff complained of
dizziness and nausea. The farmer was spraying
malathion. (See The Honolulu Advertiser, October
13, 2001, Hugh Clark, "Insecticide sickens Pahoa
students.)
Mukilteo, Washington: A teacher complains of
constant spraying of numerous pesticides and other
chemicals throughout her school. The teacher
exhibits serious symptoms such as sural, sensory,
and median nerve abnormalities, decreasing cognitive
skills, and memory loss. Other employees are growing
increasingly sick and some have died over the years
from, what the teacher asserts, chemical exposure.
The teacher suspects that Ramsey carpet cleaner and
Dursban TC combined are the reasons for sickness in
the school. The teacher was assigned to extra duties
due to excessive absentees in staff and she
eventually resigned when her symptoms combined with
too much work began to wear on her. (For more
info contact Jennifer Howell (206) 583-0655 or jhowell@triangleassociates.com)
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POISONED PROFITS
THE TOXIC ASSAULT ON OUR CHILDREN
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