Connecticut—School Policies
STATE SCHOOL PESTICIDE LAW
I. Restricted Spray Zones Around School Property
Overview
Pesticides move off the target site when they are sprayed, whether inside or outside. When sprayed outside pesticides drift on to nearby property resulting in off target residues. Buffer zones can eliminate exposure from spray drift on to school property. As a result, states require buffer zones around schools. In order to adequately protect against drift, buffer zones should, at a minimum, be established in a 2 mile radius around the school’s property. Aerial applications should have a larger buffer zone, at least 3 miles encircling the school. Buffer zones should be in effect at all times of the day. It is especially important for spray restrictions to be in place during commuting times and while students and employees are on school grounds.
State Information
Connecticut does not have any statewide requirements for restricted spray zones around school property.
II. Posting Notification Signs for Indoor Pesticide Applications
Overview
States use different approaches in providing school pesticide use information to parents, students and staff. Some forms include the posting of notification signs and/or the distribution of notices directly to the affected population. Posted notification signs warn those in the school when and where pesticides have been or are being applied. This is a vehicle for basic right-to-know if the posting occurs in an area where it is easily seen by parents, students and staff. It is important to post signs for indoor pesticide applications because of the extensive period of time students and school employees spend at school. Signs posted prior to commencement of the pesticide application, not after, are more protective. The prior notification system effectively enables people to take precautionary action. Because of the residues left behind after an application, signs should remain posted for at least 72 hours. It takes time for pesticides to start breaking down and some pesticide residues can least for weeks. Signs should also be posted at all main entrances of the building and the specific area sprayed, on the main bulletin board, and, for more comprehensive notification, in the school newspaper or on the daily announcements. Posted signs should state when and where a pesticide is applied, the name of the pesticide applied and how to get further information, such as a copy of the material safety data sheet (MSDS) and the product(s) label.
State Information
Connecticut does not have any statewide requirements for posting notification signs for indoor pesticide applications.
III. Posting Notification Signs for Outdoor Pesticide Applications
Overview
For a wider range of protection, states should require posting pesticide notification signs for outdoor pesticide applications as well. Students who play sports or people continually on the lawns represent a high risk when applications occur on school property. Dermal exposure can occur when a football player gets tackled, a soccer player slides to make a block or a student sits on the grass to eat lunch or watch a game. Inhalation exposure can occur when a player breathes in kicked up dust and dirt and pesticide residues. Even spectators at a game or passersby face inhalation exposure to pesticides that volatilize or vaporize off the treated area.
State Information
Connecticut General Statutes, section 22a-66a(c), requires posting signs when general use or restricted use pesticides are applied by any individual, regardless of certification or commercial status, to lawns within one hundred yards of any property line. “Noncommercial applications to an area less than one hundred square feet or to a fenced area” (CONN. GEN. STAT. § 22a-66a(c)(1) (1997)) are exempt from the posting requirement. The statutes also require posting signs for structural applications made to the surrounding grounds. There are no specifics on time to remain posted.
IV. Prior Written Notification
Overview
Written notification of pesticide use is a good way to make sure that all parents, children and staff are aware and warned of pesticide use in the schools. Limited notification-based registries is a less effective means of notifying people and does not qualify as true right-to-know because of its limited scope. Requiring that individuals place themselves on registries, sometimes only with a doctor’s letter, afford only those who already know about toxic exposure the opportunity to be informed about pesticide use in the school. Prior notification should be 72 hours in advance to make sure the information has been received, to get further information regarding the pesticide and to make arrangements to avoid the exposure, if necessary. Notification should include the name of the pesticide(s), a summary of the adverse health effects listed on the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and label, the day and time, and area of the application and how to obtain a copy of the MSDS and label.
State Information
Connecticut law requires schools to establish a parent and staff registry that shall give a 24 hour advanced notice of pesticide applications.
V. Prohibitions on Use
Overview
Limiting when and what pesticides are applied in and around schools is important to the reduction of pesticide exposure. Pesticides should never be applied when students or employees are in the area or may be in the area within 24 hours of the application. Seven states specifically state restrict the type and timing of pesticides that may be used in a school. In reality, certain types of pesticides, such as carcinogens, endocrine disrupters, reproductive toxins, developmental toxins, neurotoxins, persistent compounds and substances, bioaccumulative compounds and substances, toxicity category 1 acutely toxic pesticides and ground water contaminants should not be used around children.
State Information
Connecticut law prohibits pesticide applications during operating hours. Connecticut law prohibits pesticide applications on k-8th grade school grounds.
VI. Integrated Pest Management
Overview
A good integrated pest management (IPM) program can eliminate the unnecessary application of synthetic, volatile pesticides in schools. The main elements of a good IPM program include: 1) monitoring to establish whether there is a pest problem, 2) identifying the causes of the pest problem, 3) addressing the cause by changing conditions to prevent problems, 4) utilizing pest suppression techniques, if necessary, that are based on mechanical and biological controls and 5) only after non-toxic alternatives have been tried and exhausted, use the least toxic pesticide. An IPM policy should include a written policy guide and a prohibited and acceptable materials list. Material that could be considered after using other methods include boric acid and disodium octoborate tetrahydrate, silica gels, diatomaceous earth, insect growth regulators, insect and rodent baits in tamper resistant containers or for crack and crevice placement only, microbe-based insecticides, botanical insecticides (not including synthetic pyrethriods) without toxic synergists, and biological (living) control agents.
State Information
Connecticut law recommends schools implement an Integrated Pest Management program (IPM). If you have any information please contact us at [email protected].
COPY OF STATE SCHOOL PESTICIDE LAW
Notice of Pesticide Applications at Schools and Day Care Centers
Summary of Connecticut School Pesticide Law
Connecticut General Statutes: For state pesticide statutes refer to Section 10-231a-d: Pesticide Applications at Schools
and Section 22a-66a(c): Posting Requirements
An Act Concerning Pesticides at Schools and Daycare Facilities
LOCAL SCHOOL PROGRAMS
John Read Middle School
Date Passed: Unknown.
IPM: The goal of the school's IPM program is to reduce the amount of pesticides applied by using alternative methods of pest control.
Posting Notification Signs: See state law above.
Prior Written Notification: The school has decided to establish an email registry to notify parents/guardians of any pesticide applications in accordance with state law.
Contact: John Read Middle School, 486 Redding Road, Redding, CT 06896. Phone: (203) 938-2533,
Fax: (203) 938-8667
Other Schools with IPM/Notification Policies:
Middletown Public Schools
CONTACT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
Environment and Human Health, Inc.
Nancy Alderman
1191 Ridge Road
North Haven, CT 06473
203-248-6582
http://www.ehhi.org
[email protected]
Toxics Action Center
198 Park Road #2
West Harford, CT 06119-2013
Phone: (860) 233-7623
Fax: (860) 233-7574
http://www.toxicsaction.org
Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice
PO Box 2022
Harford, CT 06143-1421
Phone: (860) 548-1133
(888) 548-1133 (toll free)
Fax: (860) 548-9197
Email: [email protected]
http://www.environmental-justice.org/
Connecticut PTA
203-281-6617
For more contacts for local organizations, visit our Links to Local Organizations.
For more information contact
Beyond Pesticides, 701 E Street, S.E., Suite 200, Washington, DC, 20003, [email protected]