AB 405 STOP HUMAN EXPERIMENTATION ON CHILDREN

CALL TO ACTION:

Thank you all for your ongoing support on AB 405. Today AB 405 sits on the
Governor desk awaiting his signature. Please consider sending a letter of
support urging him to sign this common sense legislation. Sample letter and
background of bill below

For further information please contact: Michael Mendez, Office of
Assemblymember Montanez at (916) 319-2039, or
Robina Suwol with California Safe Schools (Sponsor) office: (818) 785-5515
fax: 818-787-8965

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The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor of California
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814

Fax: 916-445-4633


RE: AB 405 (Montanez) -SUPPORT


Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:

We write to request that you sign AB 405 (Montanez).

This legislation will protect the health and safety of more than six million
school children, and hundreds of thousands of teachers and school employees,
by prohibiting experimental or conditional use pesticides in California's
K-12 public schools.


Historically, pesticide products that have conditional registration or
experimental use permits have been sold and used for years without
completing outstanding data requirements. Missing data typically includes
the absence of information about metabolic impacts, mechanistic properties,
the fate of residue, risk assessment, leaching, receptor dosage,
application, and resistance studies.


This lack of data can increase adverse health affects upon children.
Children are more susceptible to harm from pesticides than adults.
Pesticides contain toxic substances, many of which have a detrimental effect
on human health and the environment.

In particular they can have an adverse effect on the developmental health of
children. In addition to disrupting immune and reproductive systems,
children can suffer neurological damage as a result of pesticide exposure,
ironically harming their ability to learn in the institution they are sent
to be educated.


AB 405 also prohibits the use of pesticide products on school for which
registration has been canceled, suspended, or marked for phase out of use.


Contrary to what you may have heard, AB 405 does not ban bleach, and allows
for hundreds of fully registered products being used on school sites,
including products to address all health and safety emergencies.


Thank you very much for your consideration.


Sincerely,
( Name, Organization, Title, Contact Information )

Students and Teachers are NOT Guinea Pigs

WHY AB 405

By: Robina Suwol, California Safe Schools


California law allows pesticide products that do not have full registration
and outstanding data requirements to be applied on school sites. This
glaring oversight in the law may expose school children, teachers and other
members of the public to unknown health risks.

Pesticides contain toxic substances, many of which have a detrimental effect
on human health and the environment and, in particular, have a developmental
effect on children. Children are more susceptible to hazardous impacts from
pesticides than are adults. Currently threshold levels of pesticide exposure
and heath studies are based solely on an adult male of approximately 160
pounds.

Historically, pesticide products that have conditional registration or
experimental use permits are sold and used for years without completing
outstanding data requirements. This significant flaw can allow for chemicals
with incomplete testing to be used on school sites, increasing undue
exposure potential to pupils.

What AB 405 Does

AB 405 would prohibit the use of experimental or new pesticides without full
registration on school sites. Essentially, this bill would prevent school
children and teachers from being exposed to experimental and/or
insufficiently tested pesticide products.

Additionally, AB 405 prohibits the use of pesticide products on school sites
for which registration has been canceled, suspended, or marked for phase out
of use. AB 405 will protect California public K-12 school children,
teachers, school workers and community members from products whose full
effects are unknown.

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