Children At Risk From Schools On Toxic Sites
ARLINGTON (Virginia), 21 March 2001 -- Schools in the US are being built on contaminated and toxic sites that put children at risk of serious illnesses, including cancer, according to a report just released.
The report, 'Poisoned Schools: Invisible Threats, Visible Actions', was released by 67 grassroots environmental groups.
The groups are launching a nationwide campaign to get school boards and eventually states to set guidelines on where to build new schools, the level of toxins that are harmful to children, and how close a school can be to a contamination source without facing a serious health threat.
California is the only state with such policies, says Ms Lois Gibbs, who is leading the national campaign.
The number of public schools on contaminated ground is unknown because each state regulates its own landfills, said the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Ms Gibbs insists 'there is a problem, a growing trend' of schools being built on abandoned landfills and brownfields or next to heavily polluting industries.
The EPA describes brownfields as 'abandoned, idled or under-used industrial and commercial facilities'.
Children also are exposed to pesticides that are used in and around school buildings, she says.
Health officials link many of the chemicals, especially pesticides, to hyperactivity and permanent brain damage.
'School districts...seek out the cheapest land, or hire uncertified or poor-quality contractors for environmental assessment,' the report says.
School architect Michael Hall says every school project that his firm has handled in the past seven years 'has had some type of environmental challenge'.
The problems included underground storage tanks, toxic dumps, abandoned landfills and power lines or electromagnetic fields. -- USA Today
Source: The Straitstimes Interactive, Singapore
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