Pesticide-Related Illness in Schools

Pesticides - including fumigants, herbicides, insecticides, repellants, and disinfectants - are often used in schools to eliminate germs and control insects and rodents. But according to researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to pesticides at schools can cause minor to severe illness in both students and teachers.

Using three national databases that collected information on pesticide illnesses between 1998 and 2002, researchers identified 2,593 adults and children who'd had pesticide-related illnesses from exposure at schools and child-care centers.

Out of every million children, 7.4 got sick from exposure to pesticides. On average, children were 9 1/2 years old at the time they became ill. Although there were no fatalities caused by exposure to pesticides, 0.1% of the injuries were very severe, 11% of the injuries were moderately severe, and 89% of the cases caused minor symptoms.

Insecticides and disinfectants applied at the school caused the majority of pesticide-related illnesses. However, a number of illnesses occurred because of farmland drift - when pesticides applied to land near the school drifted through the air, causing illness in students and teachers.

Overall, the number of pesticide-related illnesses in children increased from 1998 through 2002.

What This Means to You: According to the results of this study, every year pesticide exposure causes illness in many students and teachers. Since children spend so many hours in school each week, limiting their exposure to pesticides at school is important. Talk to your child's school administrators about their pest management policies and use of disinfectants. The authors of this study recommend that schools use pesticide application as a last resort to control pests after other nontoxic methods have been attempted. In addition, your child's school should avoid applying pesticides when students are in school, and parents should be notified in advance when pesticides will be applied.

You should also be on the lookout for symptoms of illness from pesticide exposure, such as:

• respiratory symptoms, such as cough, wheezing, and chest tightness
• gastrointestinal symptoms, such as vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea
• nervous system symptoms, such as headache, blurred vision, and dizziness
• eye irritation and pain
• skin redness and swelling

Talk to your child's doctor if you have any concerns about pesticide exposure.

Source: Walter A. Alarcon, MD; Geoffrey M. Calvert, MD; Jerome M. Blondell, PhD; Louise N. Mehler, MD; Jennifer Sievert, BS; Maria Propeck, BS; Dorothy S. Tibbetts, MPH, MS; Alan Becker, MPH; Michelle Lackovic, MPH; Shannon B. Soileau, MS; Rupali Das, MD; John Beckman, BS; Dorilee P. Male, BS; Catherine L. Thomsen, MPH; Martha Stanbury, MSPH; Journal of the American Medical Association, July 27, 2005

Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: September 2005