School Incidents Stir Pesticide Control Legislation
This morning at Waimea Canyon Middle School on Kaua`i’s west side, ambulances rushed 10 students to local hospitals with complaints of nausea and nasal and eye irritation thought to be the result of nearby pesticide use. The school closed shortly and students were treated and released.
This morning’s incident is not isolated. In response to similar past problems with alleged pesticide and herbicide impact on the health of students and staff, Sen. Gary Hooser introduced a bill last week in the State Senate that establishes three different pesticide-free buffer zones around schools.
Senate Bill 3170 prohibits the backpack application of pesticides within a 1500-foot radius of elementary school property. Aerial pesticides must not come within a half-mile radius, and all pesticides applied within a five-mile radius of any educational facility must be reported to the Department of Education so that parents are ensured of notification.
“A pesticide is poison. It is designed to kill. … No child should be subjected to it, especially in a learning environment. To allow it doesn’t even make sense,” Hooser said.
The bill will likely be scheduled for a hearing before the State Senate’s Committee on Energy and Environment and Committee on Education in the near future. In the meantime, Hooser will visit Kaua`i today to speak with the school’s principal and concerned parents and ask that the Syngenta Professional Products pest management cease and desist all chemical spraying in the school’s vicinity while legislation is still pending and today’s incident is investigated.
Waimea Canyon Middle School’s Maluia coalition has created a community forum and database to raise awareness of pesticide problems. The site includes resources such as videos and petitions in support of legislation. http://maluiawcms.blogspot.com/
The text of the bill follows in .pdf form: