Toxic Free NC Tip of the Week: Pesticides in Child Care

Avoiding Big Risks for Small Kids - new report released this week.

May, 01, 2009 , by Billie Karel

A new report out this week from Toxic Free North Carolina, Avoiding Big Risks for Small Kids, takes a look at what child care providers in our state are doing about pests like ants, weeds, cockroaches and such. Toxic Free NC talked to 89 child care providers all around the state last year - including 19 from our own Wake County - and asked them all kinds of questions about pests and pesticides. The survey results paint a distressing picture of overuse of pesticides in child care, which potentially exposes children and staff to pesticides that can trigger asthma attacks, harm growing brains, and even increases their risk of developing some types of cancer.

> For 53% of child care providers we spoke with, old fashioned, high-risk pest control methods like baseboard spraying are used at their child care. Some do this spraying themselves, but more are contracting with a professional pest control company who does it. Broadcast spraying creates a high risk that children and staff will be exposed to those potentially harmful chemicals. Because little kids are growing quickly, and likely to mess around on the floor and put things in their mouths, they are more vulnerable to health damage from pesticides and other toxic chemicals in their environments.

> The survey also found very limited adoption of least-toxic pest control, known as Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The US EPA recommends IPM for schools, child care centers and other sensitive areas because it focuses on preventing pest problems and minimizing pesticide use. Fewer than 24% of child care providers reported using practices that qualify as IPM – but those who did also reported fewer serious pest problems, indicating that it may be working better.

Compared with public schools, which are rapidly adopting IPM in North Carolina, child care centers are lagging way behind. NC public schools are all required to switch to least-toxic IPM by 2011 thanks to a state law adopted in 2006. In contrast with NC public schools, child care centers have hardly begun to adopt kid-safe pest control practices.

So what can parents & child care providers do about this? I recommend asking lots of questions to get more information about pest control and safety at your child care! We made a quick and dirty guide for parents and providers, that lists the top questions people should be asking to ensure they’re getting the safest pest control at their child care.

For example, asking questions like these can tell you a lot:

Are baseboard spraying or fogging ever used here?
Are pesticides ever used while children are present?
Do you have a pest control contract, and if so, does it call for least-toxic IPM?

We also have some great resources for child care providers who want to make the switch, including a guide on how to contract for safer pest management.

The littlest kids are the most vulnerable to health harm from pesticides, but pests are no treat either, and some, like cockroaches, can also harm children’s health. So, the safest approach is one that takes care of pests with minimum use of pesticides. It’s not impossible to do this - if public schools can do it, so can child care centers. Avoiding Big Risks for Small Kids shows that child care providers aren’t informed enough about this issue to ask the right questions and get the safest pest control they can. Parents can make a huge difference by simply asking the right questions!

People, we’ve got to fix this. Whether you’re a kid person or not, please consider passing this information along to kid people in your life. Thank you!

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