Fw: U.S. PIRG update - Environmental Health Program

[Guest guest]

----- Original Message -----

Wrom: OWCONEUQZAAFXISHJEXXIMQZUIVOTQ

Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2002 4:37 PM

Subject: U.S. PIRG update - Environmental Health Program

: Hi,

:

: You may be surprised to learn that children and school staff are exposed

to dangerous pesticides applied at their schools, and often they don't even

know it. The Schools Environmental Protection Act (SEPA) provides basic

levels of protection for children and school staff from the use of

pesticides in public school buildings and on school grounds.

:

: Follow the link below to go to a web page where you can e-mail your

senators and representative and ask them to support the Senate-adopted SEPA

provision in the Farm Bill.

:

: http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=313 & id4=ES

:

:

: BACKGROUND

:

: The Schools Environmental Protection Act (SEPA), sponsored by Senator

Torricelli (NJ), provides basic levels of protection for children and

school staff from the use of pesticides in public school buildings and on

school grounds. This important piece of legislation requires public schools

to implement safer approaches to pest management that rely on a range of

non-chemical and chemical alternatives and requires notice be provided to

parents and school staff when pesticides are used. The tools and experience

to control school pests without using toxic chemicals are available

nationwide and have proven to be effective and economical. SEPA will help to

put the alternatives in place. If pesticides are used, then clearly people

have a right-to-know. The notification provisions are crucial to parent

involvement.

:

: SEPA was previously attached to the Senate Education Bill on a unanimous

consent vote last June, but later failed by one vote in the House-Senate

Education Conference Committee in November 2001. A coalition of

environmental, public health, labor, parent and teacher organizations, and

groups representing the pest management and chemical industry support the

legislation, creating an historic alliance between groups often at odds with

each other. Unfortunately, chemical industry representatives refused to

voice support for SEPA when it was in the education conference committee,

leading to the bill's derailment last year.

:

: That opposition makes it vital that your elected officials hear from you.

Follow the link below to go to a web page where you can e-mail your senators

and representative and ask them to support the Senate-adopted SEPA provision

in the Farm Bill.

:

: http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=313 & id4=ES

:

:

: Sincerely,

:

: Wolk

: U.S. PIRG Environmental Health Associate

: http://www.pirg.org/toxics

:

: P.S. Thanks again for your support, please feel free to share this e-mail

with your family and friends.