The study also reported, even if the occupants chose not to use pesticides, traces of these chemicals were present—some of which had been removed from the market years ago.
The same can apply to you school. You don't have to use harsh chemicals for them to be present in your facilities—students, faculty, and staff members can bring them in on their shoes, or there could be remnants from your school's past pesticide use.
Although nothing to be alarmed by (the overall quantities of chemicals found was still particularly low), children, especially younger children who are still crawling, are at risk of coming in contact and potentially ingesting these.
Here is the list of the most common chemicals found in order from the most common to the least:
- Permethrin (an insecticide found in some head lice treatments, pet flea and tick products, and other insect repellents) was found in 89% of homes tested.
- Chlorpyrifos (an insecticide sold for decades for home use as Dursban until 2001) was found in 78% of homes.
- Chlordane (an insecticide banned in 1984, but used for decades on home lawns and gardens before that) was found in 74% of homes.
- Piperonyl butoxide (a chemical used with pyrethrin and similar pesticides to kill wasps, ants, fleas and ticks, lice, and other pests) was found in 52% of homes.
- Cypermethrin (an insecticide found in some Raid products and other ant and roach killers) was found in 46% of homes.
- DDT (an insecticide banned in 1972 but used widely to kill mosquitoes and other insects for decades before then) was found in 42% of homes. (DDE, a breakdown product of DDT was found in 33% of homes.)
- Fipronil (an insecticide found in some Frontline, TopChoice, Over'n Out! and Maxforce products) was found in 40% of homes.
- Diazinon (an insecticide used widely to kill ants, roaches, and other pests, as well as lawn and garden pests, until household use was banned in 2004) was found in 35% of homes.
Read the full story on thedailygreen.com here.
