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
Oklahoma does not have any statewide requirements regarding 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
Oklahoma does
not have any statewide posting requirements 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
Oklahoma does not
have any statewide posting requirements for outdoor pesticide applications.
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 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
Oklahoma does
not have any statewide requirements for providing prior written notification
of pesticide use.
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. 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
Oklahoma does
not have any state laws restricting school pesticide use.
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
Oklahoma does not
have any statewide requirements for implementation of Integrated Pest
Management (IPM). If you have any information please contact us at info@beyondpesticides.org.
LOCAL
SCHOOL PESTICIDE PROGRAMS
Muskogee Public
Schools
