EcoSMART Warns That Children Face Toxic Threats In Schools from Chemical Pesticides

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EcoSMART Warns That Children Face Toxic Threats In Schools from Chemical Pesticides

Healthy Child

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Parents getting ready to send children back to school are concerned about the threat of chemical toxins as a classroom hazard. Harmful chemical pesticides continue to be used, and pose a risk to children's health, an environmental issue that EcoSMART, America's leading provider of safe and all natural pesticide and insect repellent products, is helping parents better understand and take action toward change.

EcoSMART offers information online for parents to learn about how commonly used pesticides with harmful chemical ingredients can be a threat in school and at home for children, and supports the nonprofit Beyond Pesticides and our work here at Healthy Child Healthy World in providing information to help parents better understand the issues of pest control.

In addition to learning about the harm that toxic chemical pesticides can cause, parents should also become educated about the School Environmental Protection Act (SEPA), that calls for schools to end the use of chemical pesticides in, around, or near schools.

"I'm a father who doesn't want my children exposed to poison in the classroom, and while it is encouraging that legislation currently supports scientific research that chemical pesticides are harmful to young children, I think it is up to the parents to make sure schools comply in removing the threat," said Steven Bessette, who founded EcoSMART in 1992, prompted by concern for his children's well-being and exposure to toxic pesticides.

EcoSMART is supporting and helping parents by making sure they are well-informed and able to take action in demanding schools to ban harmful pesticides. Scientific research findings from EPA and the National Academy of Sciences, among others, show that children are more vulnerable to the risks of pesticide exposure than adults, because they are developing and of smaller size. Children also play on or close to the ground in the playground, and often put their hands close to their face and mouth, making it easy to ingest residue from these pesticides. Relative to their body weight and developing organ systems, they experience a greater intake of air and food, all increasing the threat that toxic pesticide chemicals pose.

EcoSMART, through its own scientific studies and research, in addition to findings released by SEPA, has identified top threats to young children, that can result from exposure to chemical pesticides, including: nausea, dizziness, respiratory problems, headaches, rashes, and mental disorientation.

"Often we find that the priority of many American schools is not on children's health, but more on how to eliminate pests with emphasis placed on the least expensive way to get the job done. We recommend that parents ask their school to choose pest control products that are non-toxic and safer, since toxic chemicals have no place in a school environment," said Christopher Gavigan, Healthy Child's CEO/Executive Director.

Pesticide exposure can also adversely affect a child's neurological, respiratory, immune, and endocrine systems, and have been shown to cause or exacerbate asthma symptoms. Studies show that children living in households where pesticides are used suffer elevated rates of asthma, leukaemia, brain cancer, and soft tissue sarcoma. Because most of the symptoms of pesticide exposure, from respiratory distress to difficulty in concentration, are common in school children and may also have other causes, pesticide-related illnesses often go unrecognized and unreported.

EcoSMART urges parents to talk to school officials about the SEPA ruling, and health dangers of toxic pesticide use, and to take initiative in their own homes, and gardens, to make the living environment free of harmful chemical pesticides. This back to school season, parents need to:

Get informed: Find out if your children's school uses harmful chemical pesticides. Print out a list of commonly used toxic pesticides, provided by Beyond Pesticides, to share with school administrator.:

Get the facts: download the safe ingredient chart provided by EcoSMART, and use the chart to share with school administrators to better educate them about safe and all natural pesticide alternatives.

Get EcoSMART: encourage schools to use safe and all natural pesticides as well as using EcoSMART products in the home and garden. EcoSMART products are available at most retailers, including Wal-Mart, and can be ordered online.