NYTimes.com Article: Toxic Pesticide Risk Is Seen for Public School Children

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Toxic Pesticide Risk Is Seen for Public School Children

August 21, 2002

By LYDIA POLGREEN

Children who live in public housing, go to public schools

and play in parks in cities across the state are being

exposed to high levels of toxic pesticides, according to a

report released yesterday by Attorney General Eliot

Spitzer.

The study, which surveyed 15 parks, schools and public

housing projects in New York City, Albany, Buffalo,

Syracuse and Yonkers, as well as 73 shops, found that

highly toxic pesticides were being used frequently even

though less toxic and equally effective pesticides were

available.

In public housing apartments, Mr. Spitzer said, " Pesticides

were being applied in massive dosages on a regular basis,

whether or not there was any need. "

Public health experts said pesticides were dangerous

chemicals that should be used sparingly, not routinely.

" Children's developing organ systems are highly vulnerable

to pesticides, " said Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, director of

the Center for Children's Health and the Environment at

Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Some pesticides are linked

to increased risk of cancer and injury to the brain and

nervous system, Dr. Landrigan said.

Allan , president of Responsible Industry for a Sound

Environment, a trade group representing urban pesticide

suppliers, said the report was alarmist. He said legal

pesticides were approved by the Environmental Protection

Agency and were deemed safe when applied properly.

" These reports only cause fear in the public, " Mr.

said. " The attorney general of New York has used these

kinds of reports to promote a political agenda for some

time. " Mr. Spitzer is running for re-election this year.

But people who fight pesticide use say chemicals the E.P.A.

deems safe sometimes turn out to be dangerous and are later

restricted.

" We live in a chemical soup, " said Audrey Thier, pesticide

project director at Environmental Advocates. " There is a

cumulative effect from different exposure sources, and we

do not know how they interact. What we do know is that

there are ways to control pests without chemicals. "

Bills pending in the Assembly and the State Senate would

establish an urban pesticide board to examine pesticide

application in public facilities and make recommendations

to reduce the use of chemicals.

In all, the report says, pesticides are heavily applied in

the places where urban children spend much of their time -

at home, in schools and in parks. The survey, which was

conducted in 2000, found that 8 of 10 housing projects in

five cities applied pesticides regularly, rather than when

pests became a problem. It found that 10 of the 14 schools

surveyed used pesticides and that schools in New York City

and Yonkers used chemicals of such toxicity that they could

only be applied by certified applicators.

The study also found that powerful illegal pesticides were

often easily obtained at shops near public housing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/21/nyregion/21TOXI.html?ex=1030954036 & ei=1 & en=cde\

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