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Acute Illnesses Associated With Pesticide Exposure at Schools
WALTER A. ALARCON et al / JAMA v.294, n.4, 27jul2005
A research carried out by American scientists says children may be exposed to pesticides at school more often than we expect. Campaigners have called for action to protect children.
Researchers reporting in the July 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association say they found 2,593 acute pesticide-related illnesses associated with exposure in schools occurring between 1998 and 2002. Just last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that roughly 90 percent of Americans carry pesticides in their bodies, the health risks of which are largely unknown.
In this latest study, both students and school employees were affected, and school pesticide use wasn't always to blame. In about 30 percent of the cases, pesticide drift from adjacent farmland was the source of the exposure, Forbes informs.
"We looked at surveillance data from three surveillance systems for pesticide poisoning cases from pesticide exposure at school or from drift from neighboring farms, and found approximately 2,500 cases," said study co-author Dr. Geoffrey Calvert, a medical officer with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Cincinnati.
The problem is also widely discussed and scrutinized in Great Britain.
The UK Pesticides Campaign called for immediate action to protect the public, and the replacement of chemicals with natural methods of pest control.
Georgina Downs, who heads the campaign was quoted as saying by BBC: "Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of pesticide exposure because their bodies cannot efficiently detoxify and eliminate chemicals, their organs are still growing and developing."
"I continue to receive reports of illnesses in children attending schools where pesticides are used, especially schools surrounded by crop fields that are repeatedly sprayed, throughout every year, with mixtures of pesticides. Pesticides have been sprayed around schools, people’s homes, offices and other places of human habitation for decades," she added.
The scientists recommended measures to improve the use of pesticides in schools, reduce pesticide drift and set up pesticide spray "buffer zones" around school buildings.
source: http://newsfromrussia.com/society/2005/07/27/60747.html 27jul2005
American children may be exposed to pesticides at school more often than their parents realize, a new study suggests.
Researchers reporting in the July 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association say they found 2,593 acute pesticide-related illnesses associated with exposure in schools occurring between 1998 and 2002. Just last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that roughly 90 percent of Americans carry pesticides in their bodies, the health risks of which are largely unknown.
In this latest study, both students and school employees were affected, and school pesticide use wasn't always to blame. In about 30 percent of the cases, pesticide drift from adjacent farmland was the source of the exposure.
"We looked at surveillance data from three surveillance systems for pesticide poisoning cases from pesticide exposure at school or from drift from neighboring farms, and found approximately 2,500 cases," said study co-author Dr. Geoffrey Calvert, a medical officer with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Cincinnati.
"Fortunately, most were low severity, such as skin rashes or eye irritation, but we don't want to see any illnesses occurring," he added. Plus, the authors noted that the actual incidence of pesticide-related illnesses may be even higher because some of the symptoms mimic other illnesses and may not be properly diagnosed.
Calvert and his colleagues advised schools to use integrated pest management techniques and try to reduce or eliminate pesticide drift from nearby farms, to reduce the amount of pesticide-related illnesses.
"Far too many cases of acute pesticide poisoning occur among schoolchildren each year. These episodes are preventable," said Dr. Philip Landrigan, director of the Center for Children's Health and the Environment, and the department of Community and Preventive Medicine at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.
"Children are more susceptible to pesticide exposure because they breathe more air pound for pound than adults, they play on the floor, and they live about two feet off the floor, where pesticides linger, rather than five to six feet off the floor like adults," Landrigan added.
To gather the data for this study, the researchers used three national pesticide surveillance systems: the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's Sentinel Event Notification System for Occupational Risks (SENSOR), the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) and the Toxic Exposure Surveillance System (TESS).
From 1998 to 2002, the researchers found 7.4 per million children and 27.3 per million full-time school employees had acute pesticide-related illnesses.
Most -- 89 percent -- of the 2,593 acute pesticide-related illnesses from school exposure were of low severity. That means, according to Calvert, that no medical intervention was necessary, and the illness, usually a skin rash or eye irritation, resolved on its own within a few hours.
Insecticides caused 35 percent of the illnesses, while disinfectants caused 32 percent. Calvert said that disinfectants were included if they contained antimicrobial properties. Thirteen percent of the illnesses were associated with repellants, and 11 percent with herbicides. The remaining 9 percent were attributed to other causes, such as rodenticides or fungicides.
Sixty-nine percent of the illnesses resulted from pesticide use at schools, while 31 percent was attributed to drift from nearby farmland.
The authors recommended that schools adopt integrated pest-management techniques and create buffer zones between schools and farms, as well as take other measures to prevent drift.
"Pests can be effectively and economically controlled using integrated pest management," said Landrigan. "Schools need to operate on the premise that toxic chemicals are the last resort rather than the first resort. Don't reflexively reach for chemicals."
Calvert said that integrated pest management means that rather than routinely spraying for pests, schools should first attempt to prevent pest problems from occurring. That means keeping the kitchens clean and food in airtight containers, and sealing up any cracks and crevices where pests can enter the building.
"Only after you've taken those measures do you then treat for specific pests, but only using pesticides with the lowest toxicity, and only by someone well-trained in using pesticides," Calvert said.
To reduce the problem of drift requires cooperation and, ideally, pesticides should be sprayed on neighboring farms when children and employees aren't present at the school. Again, the pesticides should only be applied by well-trained personnel, Calvert said. Buffer zones between the school and the farm would also help.
"These episodes are occurring far too often, and that's really not acceptable. These episodes are preventable, and parents, educators, school boards and community officials need to take aggressive steps to reduce pesticide exposure," Landrigan said.
source: http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/health/feeds/hscout/2005/07/26/hscout527054.html27jul2005
Campaigners have called for action to protect children after research highlighted a link between illness and pesticide use in or near schools. Scientists found the rate of illnesses linked to pesticides and similar chemicals rose sharply between 1998 and 2002 in US schools.
Most of the 2,593 patients affected had mild illnesses, but some were more serious, and a few severe.
The study is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Exposure to pesticides can cause rashes, sore throats, burning eyes, blisters, headaches and nausea as well as potentially more serious long term effects.
The scientists, from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Cincinnati, examined 406 cases in detail.
They found two-thirds were associated with pesticides used in schools, and a third with chemicals drifting into schools from nearby farms.
Safety measures
The scientists recommended measures to improve the use of pesticides in schools, reduce pesticide drift and set up pesticide spray "buffer zones" around school buildings.
The UK Pesticides Campaign called for immediate action to protect the public, and the replacement of chemicals with natural methods of pest control.
Georgina Downs, who heads the Campaign, said: "Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of pesticide exposure because their bodies cannot efficiently detoxify and eliminate chemicals, their organs are still growing and developing.
"I continue to receive reports of illnesses in children attending schools where pesticides are used, especially schools surrounded by crop fields that are repeatedly sprayed, throughout every year, with mixtures of pesticides.
"Pesticides have been sprayed around schools, peoples homes, offices and other places of human habitation for decades.
"No adequate or appropriate risk assessments have ever been undertaken either in the UK or internationally regarding the long-term exposures of rural residents and communities, including children and employees attending schools where pesticides are used."
The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution is due to publish a report on "bystander" exposure to pesticides in September.
Ms Downs has gone to the High Court challenging a decision by the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) not to introduce no-spray zones around agricultural land.
The application is on hold pending publication of the Royal Commission's report.
A Defra spokesperson said the latest study would be put to the Advisory Committee on Pesticides and the Pesticides Safety Directorate.
"There is already a detailed system of risk assessment employed to ensure that the particular effects of pesticides on children are properly taken into account."
She also stressed there were significant differences in the way pesticides were used in the US and the UK.
Peter Sanguinetti, of the Crop Protection Association, said: "Our industry is fully committed to complying with the robust regulation by the Pesticide Safety Directorate which ensures that our products are safe when used correctly.
"Every label has clear instructions which must be followed."
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source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4718015.stm 27jul2005
The number of children poisoned by pesticides at school has jumped in recent years, according to a new study that measured the casualties of haphazard spraying in and around classrooms. The rate of American children being sickened by pesticides at school jumped 39% in four years, from 5.6 out of every million students in 1998 to 7.8 per million in 2002, researchers said yesterday.
That doesn't count the untold number of children who may not know they were exposed to pesticides at school or don't suspect pesticides caused their sickness, said Dr. Walter Alarcon of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Using reports from three national toxic surveillance programs, Alarcon's team tracked 2,593 people who got sick after being exposed to insecticides, disinfectants, bug repellents and weed killers at schools.
"Pesticide exposures at schools continue to produce acute illnesses among school employees and students in the United States, albeit mainly of low severity," said Alarcon, whose findings appear in today's Journal of the American Medical Association.
"We think there's definitely under-reporting," Alarcon told the Daily News. "Some patients will not associate their illnesses with pesticide exposure."
Pesticide poisoning commonly goes undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, because symptoms resemble flu-like illnesses, pink eye or stomach problems, said Dr. Allen Dozor, chief of pediatric pulmonology at Westchester Medical Center.
"Little kids have very sensitive lungs and even very low levels of chemicals can irritate and inflame their airways," he said.
In the Northeast U.S., pesticide-related illnesses spiked in 2000, rising from 5.4 cases per million students in 1998 to 10.4 cases. It's unclear if that was due to bug spraying in the wake of the West Nile virus.
There are no federal rules limiting pesticide use in schools. But city public schools only use pesticides as a last resort, Education Department spokeswoman Margie Feinberg said.
If pesticides are going to be used, "schools must provide written notification to all parents, guardians and staff," at least 48 hours before they are used, Feinberg said.
With Joe Williams
source: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/331774p-283527c.html
Scientists in the United States have found a link between illness in children and pesticide use in or near schools.
A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found the rate of illnesses linked to pesticides and similar chemicals rose sharply between 1998 and 2002 in US schools.
Most of the 2,593 patients affected had mild illnesses, but some were more serious.
The scientists from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Cincinnati examined 406 cases in detail.
They found that two-thirds were associated with pesticides used in schools and a third with chemicals drifting into schools from nearby farms.
The research team recommended measures to improve the use of pesticides in schools, reduce pesticide drift and set up pesticide spray ‘buffer zones’ around school buildings, according to the BBC News website
source: http://www.irishhealth.com/?level=4&id=7939 27jul2005
CHICAGO -- Pesticide use in or near U.S. schools sickened more than 2,500 children and school employees over a five-year period, and though most illnesses were mild, their numbers have increased, a nationwide report found.
Sources include chemicals to kill insects and weeds on school grounds, disinfectants, and farming pesticides that drift over nearby schools, according to the report by researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and their colleagues.
Lead author Dr. Walter Alarcon said one of the largest recent incidents occurred in May when about 600 students and staff members were evacuated from an Edinburg, Texas, elementary school after pesticides sprayed on a cotton field drifted into the school's air conditioning system. About 30 students and nine staffers developed mild symptoms including nausea and headaches.
The study, which appears in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, covered events from 1998 to 2002 _ none as big as the Texas incident, Alarcon said.
Activists seeking to reduce pesticide use contend many commonly used pesticides, including some involved in the study incidents, can increase risks for cancer, birth defects and nerve damage.
"The chronic long-term impacts of pesticide exposures have not been comprehensively evaluated; therefore, the potential for chronic health effects from pesticide exposures at schools should not be dismissed," the authors wrote.
Still, the overall rate of pesticide illnesses in schools is small _ 7.4 cases per million children and 27.3 cases per million school employees, the authors said.
Jay Vroom, president of CropLife America, which represents suppliers of farming pesticides, said the report is alarmist and that pesticide use around schools "is well-regulated and can be managed to a level that does not present an unreasonable health risk."
Allen James, president of RISE, a trade group for makers of pesticides used in schools, faulted the study for relying on unverified reports and said the numbers nonetheless suggest that incidents are "extremely rare."
The authors tallied reports from three pesticide surveillance systems, including a national database of calls to poison control centers and found that 2,593 students and school employees developed pesticide-related illnesses in the five years studied. Only three illnesses were considered severe.
Most of the illnesses were in children. The number of children affected each year climbed from 59 to 104 among preschoolers and from 225 to 333 among children aged 6 to 17.
"I don't think we want to overwhelm people, but the study does provide evidence that using pesticides at schools is not innocuous and that there are better ways to use pesticides," said study co-author Dr. Geoffrey Calvert.
Claire Barnett of the Healthy Schools Network advocacy group said the total is likely a "deep undercount" because there are about 54 million U.S. schoolchildren and yet no comprehensive national tracking system.
The authors said the study underscores the need to reduce pesticide use through pest management programs that typically require schools to use pesticides as a last resort and to implement advance written notification when the chemicals are used. The guidelines also often recommend that spraying in schools or in nearby fields should occur only when students and staffers are not present.
Laws in 17 states recommend or require schools to have such programs, according to Jay Feldman, executive director of the Beyond Pesticides advocacy group.
source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/26/AR2005072601271.html 27jul2005
NEW YORK — Although reported illnesses due to pesticide exposures at schools in the US are relatively uncommon, the incidence of such exposures among schoolchildren has increased in recent years, investigators report.
There are no specific federal guidelines limiting pesticide exposures at schools, Dr. Walter A. Alarcon and colleagues note in their report in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association.
To assess the magnitude of the problem, Dr. Alarcon, with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Cincinnati, Ohio, and his associates analyzed data from three national surveillance systems for the period from 1998 to 2002.
They documented 2593 cases of acute pesticide-related illnesses at schools, with incidence rates of 7.4 cases per million children and 27.3 cases per million employees.
No fatalities were reported, but there were three cases severe illness considered to be life threatening and involving hospitalization, and 275 cases (11 percent) of moderate severity requiring treatment.
Illnesses were caused primarily by insecticides (35 percent), disinfectants (32 percent), repellents (13 percent) or herbicides (11 percent). Exposure was associated with both pesticide applications on school grounds and pesticide drift from applications to neighboring farmland.
The incidence of cases increased over time among children but not among adults. The authors suggest that this trend may be related to increased numbers of schools situated next to farmland.
Alarcon's team notes that their findings probably represent low estimates of the problem because cases may not be reported to surveillance systems or recognized as being related to pesticides.
"To prevent pesticide-related illnesses at schools," they recommend "implementation of integrated pest management programs in schools, practices to reduce pesticide drift, and adoption of pesticide spray buffer zones around schools."
CHICAGO — Pesticide use in or near U.S. schools sickened more than 2,500 children and school employees over a five-year period and, though most illnesses were mild, their numbers have increased, a nationwide report found.
Sources of the illnesses include chemicals to kill insects and weeds on school grounds, disinfectants and farming pesticides that drift over nearby schools, according to the report by researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and their colleagues.
Lead author Walter Alarcon said one of the largest recent incidents occurred in May when about 600 students and staff members were evacuated from an Edinburg, Texas, elementary school after pesticides sprayed on a cotton field drifted into the school's air-conditioning system. About 30 students and nine staffers developed mild symptoms including nausea and headaches.
The study, which appears in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, covers events from 1998 to 2002 — but none as big as the Texas incident, Dr. Alarcon said.
Activists seeking to reduce pesticide use contend many commonly used pesticides, including some involved in the study incidents, can increase risks for cancer, birth defects and nerve damage. "The chronic long-term impacts of pesticide exposures have not been comprehensively evaluated; therefore, the potential for chronic health effects from pesticide exposures at schools should not be dismissed," the authors wrote.
Still, the overall rate of pesticide illnesses in schools is small — 7.4 cases per million children and 27.3 cases per million school employees, the authors said.
Jay Vroom, president of CropLife America, which represents suppliers of farming pesticides, said the report is alarmist and that pesticide use around schools "is well-regulated and can be managed to a level that does not present an unreasonable health risk."
Allen James, president of RISE, a trade group for makers of pesticides used in schools, faulted the study for relying on unverified reports and said the numbers nonetheless suggest that incidents are "extremely rare."
The authors tallied reports from three pesticide surveillance systems, including a national database of calls to poison control centers and found that 2,593 students and school employees developed pesticide-related illnesses in the five years studied. Only three illnesses were considered severe.
Most of the illnesses were in children. The number of children affected each year climbed from 59 to 104 among preschoolers and from 225 to 333 among children aged 6 to 17.
"I don't think we want to overwhelm people, but the study does provide evidence that using pesticides at schools is not innocuous and that there are better ways to use pesticides,'' said study co-author Geoffrey Calvert.
Claire Barnett of the Healthy Schools Network advocacy group said the total is likely a "deep undercount" because there are about 54 million U.S. schoolchildren and yet no comprehensive national tracking system.
The authors said the study underscores the need to reduce pesticide use through pest management programs that typically require schools to use pesticides as a last resort and to implement advance written notification when the chemicals are used. The guidelines also often recommend that spraying in schools or in nearby fields should occur only when students and staffers are not present.
Laws in 17 states recommend or require schools to have such programs, according to Jay Feldman, executive director of the Beyond Pesticides advocacy group.
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