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Amid fretting and high hopes that their children will succeed in the academic year, concerns that students could be exposed to toxic pesticides might not be the first thought on parents鈥� minds.
But ensuring that Maryland schools reduce pesticide-exposure has been an ongoing concern for groups like the Maryland Pesticide Education Network and the Children鈥檚 Environmental Health Network, who have been advocating for clear policies on pesticide use in schools for years.
Maryland has had a state law requiring implementation of what鈥檚 called an Integrated Pest Management Plan for all school districts since the late 90鈥檚, but the two groups worry that miscommunication from Maryland Department of Agriculture has made it difficult for school districts to properly comply with the law for decades.
鈥淣ow, we鈥檝e had an election. We have a new governor. We have a new legislature and we do have a new secretary,鈥� said Veronika Carella, Legislative Director for the Children鈥檚 Environmental Health Network. 鈥淲e are pushing very hard for them to understand what needs to change. And we are very hopeful that it will change. But in the meantime, the school year has started, and kids have started going back to school under these conditions.鈥�
Pesticides have a long history of health concerns, especially when children are involved. According to a聽聽from the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2012, children are uniquely susceptible to the potential toxicities of pesticides.
鈥淓pidemiologic evidence demonstrates associations between early life exposure to pesticides and pediatric cancers, decreased cognitive function, and behavioral problems,鈥� the report said. It added that many chemicals in pesticides are classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as carcinogens.
Since the 2012 report, additional concerns have emerged regarding the use of pesticides, including reports that some pesticides contain PFAS, which are also known as 鈥渇orever chemicals鈥� that can lead to high cancer risks.
The issue of PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) is such a pressing concern that the 2023 Maryland General Assembly聽聽requiring the Department of Agriculture to study the use of PFAS chemicals in the state and deliver the findings to the governor and legislators by November.
And the enforcement of Maryland鈥檚 regulations on integrated pest management policies in schools has had a rocky history, the Maryland Pesticide Education Network says.
鈥淭here have been these longstanding problems in the implementation since it went into effect. We鈥檙e concerned because many counties are still missing crucial elements of the law,鈥� said Bonnie Raindrop, program director for the nonprofit.
Maryland鈥檚 Integrated Pest Management in Schools law was passed in 1997 and expanded to school grounds with additional legislation in 1999. It requires school boards to create an 鈥渋ntegrated pest management鈥� program to reduce the health, economic and aesthetic impacts of pests in school environments. The plan should include methods that are preventative in nature, such as sanitation, structural repair, and other non-chemical methods. Then, when 鈥渁ll nontoxic options are unreasonable or have been exhausted,鈥� chemical pesticides would be used to control a pest infestation.
Manuals were developed to help implement the new law, but had to be corrected several years later for misrepresenting scope of the law.聽聽was issued in 2010 to notify school districts of the incongruities between the state law and the manuals, including language that integrated pest management was an optional, rather than mandatory, approach.
But even as corrections have been issued, the Maryland Pesticide Education Network and Maryland Children鈥檚 Environmental Health Coalition worry that most school districts have incomplete or outdated pest management policies.
According to the Maryland Pesticide Education Network analysis, most school districts do not provide a list of pesticides that are permitted within their integrated pest control programs. Other plans are decades old and have not been updated since the late nineties. Over a dozen plans do not directly address the policies for pest control on school grounds, which has been a requirement since 1999, according to the group鈥檚 analysis.
Without thorough and descriptive school plans regarding pest control, the advocates are concerned that many school children may be at risk of exposure to pesticides if school districts are not careful with their pesticide use.
Meanwhile, Department of Agriculture pest management inspectors issued over 270 violation citations throughout 1,100 inspections across Maryland school districts in 2022, according to a聽聽from the Department of Agriculture.
Clear district policies surrounding the use of pesticides in schools can help families and faculty exist in safe and healthy learning environments, which is why those two groups have been tracking the issue for decades.
Ruth Berlin, executive director of the Maryland Pesticide Education Network, says that she鈥檚 encouraged by the new administration under Gov. Wes Moore (D).
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to take some time鈥nd there鈥檚 a lot that needs to change. A lot of education and training. You know, 鈥榳ho鈥檚 supposed to be doing what.鈥� 鈥榃hat鈥檚 the difference between a policy and a plan and a regulation?鈥� and all that good stuff,鈥欌�� she said.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture has agreed to connect with the groups and discuss their concerns.
Secretary of Agriculture Kevin Atticks says that from the Department鈥檚 perspective, the agency has an integrated pest management plan from each school district in Maryland on file, though some of those plans have not been updated for several years.
The agency is not ruling out that there could be room for improvement.
鈥淲e want to, obviously as the regulating agency, be helpful and proactive and be cooperative. If there鈥檚 any suggestions, we鈥檇 like to hear them, and there is a good chance that we can work together to approach some changes,鈥� Atticks said.
鈥淚f there are ways that we can work together,鈥� Atticks said. 鈥淲hether the issue is about compliance or whether the issue is about communication 鈥� there鈥檚 probably changes that can be made.鈥�
Atticks told Maryland Matters that pest control is an ever-changing challenge for the department, and factors such as climate change can lead to new pests entering Maryland.
鈥淧ests are an evolving concern. It鈥檚 not like we鈥檙e dealing with today the pests we were dealing with in 1997 鈥� there are new pests,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not talking just schools in general, just broadly. We鈥檙e seeing invasive pests and non-native pests.鈥�
鈥淭hings like the spotted-lantern fly. We鈥檝e had the emerald ash borer (beetle) that have come in and have devastated parts of the industry 鈥� or trees in my own yard,鈥� he added.
As for schools specifically, the age of a school building can play a factor.
鈥淓verything is an evolution. When the school building was new you didn鈥檛 have as many pests,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s schools get 20, 30 years in, there are new waves of pest pressures that come and go. It鈥檚 a serious issue that needs to be dealt with.鈥�
And he argued that some aspects of pest control necessitate the use of pesticides. Understanding the potential risk-factor involved in exposure, particularly with school-aged kids, is why it is important to ensure that such chemicals are used safely.
鈥淚ts critical that we have these tools and we use these tools responsibly,鈥� he said.
Atticks said that as conversations around the use of pesticides in schools continue, it鈥檚 possible that the 1997 law may get another look.
鈥淚t may not have aged well and we (may) need to update it,鈥� he said.
