SEPA (School Environmental Protection Act)
School Pesticide Reform Coalition
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Asthma,
Children and Pesticides
(En
Español)
- Alert: Send a postcard to your school asking them not to spray pesticides that contribute to childhood asthma.
- Download Asthma, Pesticides and Children: What you should know to protect your family
Since the mid-1980s, asthma rates in the United States have skyrocketed to epidemic levels, particularly in young children. In the U.S. alone, around 16 million people suffer from asthma. Asthma is a serious chronic disorder of the lungs characterized by recurrent attacks of bronchial constriction, which cause breathlessness, wheezing, and coughing. Asthma is a dangerous, and in some cases lif e-threatening disease. Researchers have found that pesticide exposure can induce a poisoning effect linked to asthma.
Did You Know?
- Nearly 1 in 8 school-aged children have asthma. This rate is rising most rapidly in pre-school aged children.
- Asthma is the leading cause of school absenteeism due to chronic illness. Every year, asthma accounts for 14 million lost days of school.
- Asthma is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization among those younger than 15 years.
- The number of children dying from asthma increased almost threefold from 1979 to 1996.
- The estimated cost of treating asthma in those younger than 18 years is $3.2 billion per year.
- Low-income populations, minorities, and children living in inner-cities experience disproportionately high morbidity and mortality due to asthma.
For more information, download the full, 16-page color booklet, Asthma, Pesticides and Children: What you should know to protect your family, (color brochure version, cited version) or contact Beyond Pesticides to order color hardcopies of the brochure, 202-543-5450.
En Español: El Asma, los Niños y los Pesticidas: Lo que usted debe saber para proteger a su familia, (el folleto a color, el folleto con citaciones).
Take Action
September
is the perfect time of year to remind schools that you are concerned about
the use of pesticides in their facilities and on their grounds and the
effectiveness of non-toxic pest management approaches. To that end, we
have, with the School Pesticide Reform Coalition, put together a postcard
that we would like you to send to your school in an effort to nurture
the involvement of health staff.
Send your postcard today. Read more...