Protecting The Most Vulnerable: Stop Human Experimentation In k-12 Public Schools!

By: Robina Suwol

Los Angeles, Ca - It's the bill you haven't heard much about this
year. That's because it's about the welfare of kids, and kids have no vote,
no war chest, and no lobbyists. AB 405, which bans experimental pesticides
from schools where they are often currently used, regardless of their
unknown effects on children's bodies, has made it further than anyone
thought possible. But it still needs your help.

After months of meetings and Committee hearings, AB 405 passed the
California Assembly and more recently the Senate Environmental Quality
Committee. Its author, Assemblymember Cindy Montanez, will witness the
measure move to the Senate Floor this week for likely passage before heading
to the Governor's desk for his signature.

This bill is short in word count but its protective power is enormous.
AB 405 would close a loophole that permits experimental pesticides to be
used at K-12 public school sites. Experimental pesticides are those
whose full health effects are unknown. For example, these products may
lack studies showing Metabolic, Mechanistic, Residue, Risk Assessment,
Leaching, Dosage, Application, and Resistance information that is
significant to the health of children, teachers, and all school employees.
This bill allows products, which have been fully registered to continue to
be used for their original registered uses, but makes sure that, as happens
now, kids no longer can be treated as human experiments.

With children, teachers, and school employees used as guinea pigs
there has been no shortage of strong support. AB 405 is sponsored by
California Safe Schools, Its supporters include: California Medical
Association, California Teachers Association, California School Boards
Association. California State PTA, and the Los Angeles Unified School
District, largest school district in the state and 2nd largest in the
nation, Learning Disabilities Association of California, and the
Environmental Health and Environmental Justice organizations.

"There is no scientific justification for ALLOWING the use in schools
for the overwhelming majority of experimental or conditionally registered
pesticide products. Children are not lab rats!" said Mitzi Shpak a highly
respected Caltech Microbiologist.

Following in the footsteps of numerous studies, CHEERS, the halted EPA
study that proposed using babies in Dade County Florida as test subjects for
a pesticides effects study, University of San Diego pesticide experiments on
college students, and the recent Journal of the American Medical Association
report which pointed to the health effects to school children from exposure
to pesticides, AB 405 is long overdue legislation.

"Given the unique vulnerability of children, and the high rate of
breast cancer in California teachers, we need to take a safe-not-sorry
approach. There are plenty of fully registered products; we don't need to
take chance with the health of children, school employees or the
environment" said Annie Waterman founder of Action Now, and environmental
activist

The nation's second largest school district, Los Angeles Unified, had
the foresight to ban these experiential and conditional use products, but
until this bill passes the rest of the K-12 population need to be vigilant.
More than six million kids, who face enough hazards in the world we are
leaving them, depend on it.

The Senate is already hearing from an army of chemical lobbyists. The
only hope for California's children is that they will also hear from you.

Robina Suwol is the Executive Director of California Safe Schools

For further information:

California Safe Schools
818-785-5515
http://www.calisafe.org

Assemblymember Cindy Montanez
916-319-2039