Keep Toxic Pesticides Out of Maine Schools: Strengthen School Pesticide Laws

Efforts are underway to weaken Maine's schools pesticide regulations Chapter 27 - which in 2007 established integrated pest management (IPM) procedures and standards for school buildings and on school grounds - and set back pioneering efforts for school pesticide reform legislation in Maine. Since 2007, efforts to replace hazardous chemical use in schools with least-toxic chemical options, sound IPM, and organic land management have been sweeping that nation. However, the new amendments to Maine’s Chapter 27 make no mention of safer, preventive pest management practices, or the use of least-toxic pesticides only as the last resort.

The new amendments will:

Not provide students in Maine the same protections as students in other states that have been eliminating unnecessary pesticide use by adopting pest prevention practices and using least-toxic pesticides as the last resort;
Make advanced pesticide notification an option rather than a requirement for parents;
Allow aesthetics to play a part in pesticide application (cosmetic applications), contrary to IPM principles;
Exempt certain indoor pesticide use from advanced notification;
Exempt agricultural and horticultural educational centers from notification and IPM techniques, further exposing students to potentially toxic pesticides;
Treat students entering certain treated areas (in greenhouses and other agricultural educational centers) as agricultural workers subject to the federal “Worker Protection Standards,” a standard that is known to not go far enough to protect adult farmworkers, much less vulnerable children.

Take Action:

Tell the Maine Pesticide Control Board to keep toxic pesticides out of Maine schools and strengthen the state’s school pesticide laws.

Send an email to the Maine Pesticide Control Board by Friday, Sept. 28, if you are concerned about pesticides on school grounds.

Subject:

Your Letter:

To the Maine Pesticides Control Board,

As a resident of Maine I am concerned about some of the amendments proposed for Chapter 27, “Standards For Pesticide Applications And Public Notification In Schools.” The original intent of this chapter is to protect students from dangerous pesticides by instituting IPM on school property and allowing parents to be notified in advance of pesticide applications. Pesticides should not be used for aesthetic reasons, as this is contrary to IPM principles, but only in emergency situations. Should pesticides be applied, the least-toxic alternative should be used in accordance with sound IPM practices.

There should be no exemptions for parental notification, as it is imperative that Maine parents are aware of all chemical products their children may be exposed to. This is also important to facilitate the quick treatment of children that may have adverse reactions to these chemicals.

Maine students must not be treated as mini adults subject to the federal Worker Protection Standards that are known to not go far enough to protect adult farmworkers and their families. Children are especially vulnerable to chemicals due to physiological, metabolic, and behavioral characteristics that differ from adults. Training students as agricultural workers does not mitigate the unique circumstances that surround children’s exposures to pesticides.

I hope the Board reconsiders these amendments and update the 2007 regulation to include the use of safer, least-toxic options to truly protect our students from the dangers of unnecessary pesticide use.

Henry Jennings

Director, Maine Board of Pesticides Control
28 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0028