Trenton - Environmentalists, health and industry professionals, teachers, and school boards, all praised the State Senate for passing the School Integrated Pest Management Act (S-137, Buono/Matheussen) today.
Under Buono's bill, private and public schools would: discourage routine toxic pesticide applications, operate under a common definition and policy of IPM, and give 72 hours advance written notice to parents and staff when pesticides are applied,.
"This legislation puts New Jersey in the lead in protecting kids from the hazards of pesticides in schools," said Jane Nogaki, Pesticide Program Coordinator for the NJ Environmental Federation. "Senator Buono is to be applauded for making this a priority and making this happen."
According the health experts, children are vulnerable to pesticides hazards and shouldn't be exposed to them during their school day. Fortunately, techniques exist to control pests without using poisons. These techniques include preventive maintenance (sealing cracks, cleaning up food crumbs, fixing water leaks) mechanical traps and non volatile baits.
"Senator Buono's bill will make these "least toxic" pest control practices the rule rather than the exception in schools," said Nogaki, who has assisted 20 school districts in NJ in adopting Integrated Pest Management (IPM) policies or programs.
School districts, including Cedar Grove, Evesham, Newark, Haddonfield, Belmar, Eastern Camden County Regional, and Hackensack, have virtually eliminated routine or "calendar" pesticide spraying. However, many school districts still have "pay to spray" contracts for monthly pesticide applications for indoor and outdoor pest control, whether needed or not. There are no federal or state regulations that require Integrated Pest Management in schools, or written advance notice of pesticide applications.
"Kids who are least able to protect themselves from pesticide exposure need the power of the law to eliminate the threat of such exposures at school", said Mary Lamielle, Director of the National Center for Environmental Health Strategies, a Voorhees based non- profit organization that tracks pesticide illnesses. "Some children and teachers have become sick from organophosphate pesticide exposures leading to lifelong disabilities. In pesticide incidents around the country, schools have been evacuated and occasionally closed for lengthy periods of time when pesticide fumes from lawn care or athletic field applications have drifted into open windows or have been pulled into the building's ventilation system."
Pennsylvania recently passed bills requiring IPM and 72 hours advance notice, as have New York State, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Texas, and Illinois.
Contact Info. For Various IPM Stakeholders That Support S137
Dr. Michael Gallo, (732) 445-0175. UMDNJ, Director of NIEHS Center of Exellence, founder of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Co author of l993 groundbreaking study "Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children, published by the National Research Committee.
Phil Cooper, NJ Pest Management Association and Cooper Pest Control, Lawrenceville, (609) 799-1300
Ginger Gold, NJEA legislative representative, (609) 599-4561
Steven Morlino, Newark Public Schools Facilities Director, (973) 733- 7340
Joseph Tobens, Evesham School District Facilities Director, (856) 797- 6840. Practising IPM since the early 90's, policy adopted in l994
Mara Silgailis, (973) 239-4631, parent and chair of the Cedar Grove Environmental Commission, worked with her school and town to adopt IPM after seeing chemicals applied to school walkway while children were going to school.
Mary Lamielle, (856)-429-5358, advocate for people injured by chemicals, has contacts with teachers suffering from pesticide poisoning
Maureen Marchetta, Children's Health Environmental Coalition, Princeton, (609) 252-1915
Contacts: Jane Nogaki, ( 856) 767-1110, Cell (856) 912-6790 David Pringle, (609) 53-1515, Cell (732) 996-4288
NJ Environmental Federation 1 Lower Ferry Rd. Trenton NJ 08628 Tel: 609-530-1515 Fax: 609-530-1508 Email: dpringle@cleanwater.org Web: http://www.cleanwateraction.org/njef/
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