Winter Maladies: Natural Approaches
June Russell's Health Facts
Pesticides, Children, and Schools
Children
There is no doubt that most pesticides can pass through the placenta and damage the unborn infant (Rachel’s Environmental and Health Weekly). More than half the pesticides in this country are chlorinated, even though chlorine is known to affect the reproductive and hormonal systems of animals and humans (Dine, “Toxic Reduction”). Even in the tiniest amounts estrogen can be potent and alter developing young. Estrogens can be found in herbicides and pesticides.
(Moses, “Designer Poisons: Estrogen in the Environment,” Washington Post, Jan. 25, 1994.
The pesticide DBCP is conclusively proven to cause reproductive problems, in particularly sterility in males. (Moses, “Designer Poisons”) Breast milk, as well as semen, appears to store toxic substances (Rachel’s, April 20, 1995). Some females have more pesticide in their breast milk than is allowed in cow’s milk. A female needs only one exposure to a pesticide at a critical stage during her pregnancy for her offspring to be severely affected (Moses, “Designer Poisons”), and male sperm can be genetically altered for ninety days from one pesticide exposure.
(from the book, “Is This Your Child’s World?” by Dr. Doris Rapp, 1996. Dr. Rapp is a well-known physician specializing in Environmental Medicine, Pediatrics, and Pediatric Allergies. She is Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the State University of New York at Buffalo).
Some chemicals do not directly damage DNA, but may be considered carcinogenic because they encourage abnormal cell proliferation by altering the body’s immunity, ability to repair damaged cells, or regulation of hormones. For instance, a wide variety of pesticides have recently been characterized as “environmental estrogens” or “xenoestrogens.” Some widespread endocrine-disrupting chemicals - - including herbicides, atrazine, cyanazine, 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T, and the pollutants PCBs and dioxin - - are suspected human carcinogens. In a study of Canadian farmers, a significant dose-response relationship was found between risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and acres sprayed with herbicides (J. Natl. Cancer Inst, 1990). Another study found that dogs whose owners used the herbicide 2,4-D on their lawns had a greater risk of developing malignant lymphoma (J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 1991)
The children are the least protected population group when it comes to pesticide exposure, according to the National Academy of Sciences report, “Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children (1993).” Children, due to their small size, greater intake of air and food relative to body weight, developing organ systems and other unique characteristics, are at higher risk than adults to pesticides. Numerous studies document that children exposed to pesticides suffer elevated rates of childhood leukemia, soft tissue sarcoma and brain cancer. Studies link pesticides to childhood asthma and respiratory problems, and scientists increasingly associate learning disabilities or attention deficit disorders with low-level toxic exposure because of their effect on the central nervous system.
Favorite children’s foods like apples and grapes have high levels of toxic residues from pesticides, says Consumers Union, urging the U.S. government to do more to ban the use of dangerous chemicals. The spokesman for the group, Adam Goldberg, underscored the need for tighter controls of about 20 specific chemicals which are found in foods, and that pesticide residues in foods children eat every day often exceed safe levels. There was concern that some of the organochlorine pesticides banned in the 1970s are still showing up in foods that children eat today. Pesticide companies have been testing products on students and other volunteers for decades - human experimentation.
(“Pesticides residues seen too high in children’s food,” healthcentral.com - June 2000)
Children whose mothers used pesticides in the home once or twice a week were nearly two and a half times as likely to have non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Children whose mothers used pesticides on a more daily basis were seven times more likely to have the cancer, according to a report published in the December 1st issue of the journal “Cancer.” Pregnant women exposed to pesticides by professional exterminators in their homes were three times more likely to have a child with the cancer, and children directly exposed to pesticides were just over twice as likely to develop the disease.
(“Pesticides linked to childhood cancer . . . Duh,” Alternative Medicine, May 2001)
We deserve to know as much as possible about the effect of pesticides on us. Like canaries in a coalmine, birds warn of danger in our environment. If these chemicals kill birds, what are they doing to our kids, says Frank Gill, Audubon’s Senior vice President of Science. (A NewYork State wildlife official has discovered that of the birds collected for a study on the West Nile Virus, more died from pesticide poisoning that from the virus itself.
(“ Pesticides, NOT West Nile Virus, are the Leading Cause of Bird Deaths,” www.mercola.com - July 2001)
The threshold level is difficult to identify, and may depend on which type of adverse effect is being studied. The maximum safe level can change an individual’s vulnerability over time. Infants may be better able to break down toxic substances into harmless compounds (as infant metabolism is far higher than that of adults) but some breakdowns are more toxic than the parent compound and therefore may increase the risk.
(“Pesticides and Children’s Health,” from the book “Our Children’s Toxic Legacy: How Science and Law Fail to Protect Us from Pesticides,” by John Wargo, 1996, in the Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, Aug/Sept. 1997). John Wargo is eminently qualified and this book was thoroughly researched and documented. Book reviewer was Beatrice Trum Hunter.
Pesticides can damage a child’s brain and nervous system and kids may be especially vulnerable at certain critical periods of development - in the first trimester of development, in the first two years of life, and in adolescence - when toxins can permanently alter their biology. Lawn chemicals may be a more serious concern than what they eat and drink. If they play in the yard, or hug a pet that has been roaming outside, and then put their fingers in their mouths, they may be ingesting much higher levels of pesticides.
The EPA is reexamining numerous pesticides, and local and state governments are also stepping in to protect people. New York, for instance, now requires lawn-care companies to notify neighbors within 150 feet of a spraying site at least 48 hours ahead of time (though not all counties have adopted the new law). Other states, including Maryland and Massachusetts, require similar notification, including posting of signs after lawns have been treated. In the past few years there has been increasing evidence suggesting that certain categories of pesticides, including organophosphates, interfere with normal brain development - even at low levels. And now the EPA is carefully investigating home use of chemicals (before it focused primarily on agricultural use). How to protect your family? Some environmental advocates advise not applying any kind of chemical, and some lawn-care services now practice integrated pest management (IPM) if you had rather avoid using chemicals.
(“Danger in the Grass,” Good Housekeeping, May 2001)
Children living in pesticide treated homes had nearly 4 times greater risk of developing leukemia (cancer of the blood). If children lived in homes where pesticides were used in the garden as well, the risk was 6.5 times greater. All of the children in the study were 10 years of age or younger.
(“Home Pesticides Increase
Risk of Leukemia in Children,” Dr. John Peters, University of Southern California, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, July 1987 - on www.chem-tox.com - 2002)
Schools
Supporters of the legislation of SEPA (School Environment Protection Act of 2001)
estimatethat some 50 insecticides, herbicides and fungicides are commonly used in and around schools, some of which can cause reproductive problems, neurological problems, kidney and live damage and cancer.
(SEPA - AP Story. “Pesticide opponents upset provision pulled from education bill,” Dec. 2001)
Schools with their multiple chemicals (asbestos, chalk, paints, solvents, commercial cleaning products, etc.) are a source for substantial chemical toxicity, not only for the children but also for teachers, secretaries, janitors, and other school employees.
(“Chemical Sensitivity, It’s a Serious Problem More Often Than You Think!!!
Adrienne Buffaloe, M.D., Medical Director of New York City’s First Chemical Free Environmental Medicine Center)
The Coalition to Stop Children’s Exposure to Pesticides (415-391-8511), and the Pesticide Education Center are calling for non-toxic parks, soccer fields, playgrounds, school grounds and recreational areas to be free of pesticides.
(“Safe Lawn Programs,” Our Toxic Times newsletter, June 1997)
Check your children’s school for the products used for cleaning, exterminating insects and caring for the lawn. Of the 47 different pesticides used by the Los Angeles Unified School District in the 1990-1991 school year, 11 were found to be carcinogens, 27 can cause nerve or genetic damage and three can cause birth defects. Of 128 schools surveyed in Illinois, administrators at 73% of the schools had no knowledge of the chemicals being used, and 33% of the schools were being sprayed during the school hours. Ask your principal or school board what their pesticide policy is, and if there isn’t one, work with your PTA to form one.
(“Pesticide dangers: 7 ways to help protect your family,” McCall’s, August 1993)
A new law in Olympia, Washington, will require schools and day-care centers to notify parents 48 hours in advance of spraying toxic pesticides. This bill was introduced after lobbying by the Washington Toxics Coalition. Concerned parents, especially of children with asthma, will be able to decide whether to keep their children home from school or tell them to avoid certain parts of a building where the chemicals are being used. A survey showed that 88% of Washington schools used chemicals, especially to control weeds, thus exposing kids to health problems such as nervous system damage, hormone disruption and cancer, according to the Coalition.
Dangers that affect children’s progress and interactions at school include learning disabilities and behavior problems. Among the dangerous chemicals is Roundup, which kills all green plants that it touches (users are advised to avoid the area for 24 hours). Another is Diazinon, used for killing insects in lawns (this one has a warning to keep away from edible plants because of its high degree of toxicity). Some schools have opted to pull weeds by hand, thus eliminating the need for spraying.
(“Keep those pests away from school,” Alternative Medicine magazine, March 2002)
The EPA has announced that it is banning all “safe for kids” claims on products that contain any level of DEET. “My personal policy regarding any pesticide products on or around children is to use them as a last resort only,” says EPA administrator Carl Browner. Non-chemical alternatives can be almost as effective.
(“Choosing a Safe Repellent,” Good Housekeeping, Aug. 1998)
If you suspect your home has been treated with pesticides, thoroughly clean your home, washing the walls and floors with soap and water. Make sure each room gets plenty of fresh air and sunlight, both of which help break down chemicals.
(“Special Report: what you need to know about pest control,” Natural Health magazine, May/June 2001)
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