Friday, Aug. 19, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | Meeting to address pesticide concernsBy BEN NELMS What some Peachtree City parents say was exposure by their children to pesticides on city athletic fields generated the call for a meeting at the Kedron Fieldhouse and Aquatic Center Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. The center is located at 202 Kedron Drive. Nurse and mother Corrine Risch said the purpose of the meeting is to educate parents, coaches, the city and everyone about what can result if a child is exposed to pesticides and the alternatives methods of pest control. Were having this meeting to educate parents to the dangers of pesticide exposure and to be able to recognize the symptoms so they dont mistake them for the common flu. So we need to come together so we can understand whats going on. Were being collectively poisoned and we need to stop that, she explained. Most people, when bringing their child home from practice with them exhibiting those symptoms, would never make the connection with pesticide exposure. They would think it was something the child picked up at school. One such exposure was experienced by 15-year-old Kelsey Langworthy last fall. She came home lightheaded after practice at the citys Highway 74 Baseball/Soccer Complex with a bright, emerald green substance on her shoes and socks and on her feet. The healthy and athletic teenager began rapidly manifesting labored breathing, chest pains and other problems that landed her in the emergency room. Since that time Kelsey has experienced three other occasions of similar symptoms, including one just over a week ago. On every occasion, the common denominator was her presence at the Hwy. 74 Baseball/Soccer Complex. For Kelseys father, Bill Langworthy, her first-ever episode was something he will never forget. The fear was etched in her eyes, he said. As a parent you are there, but there is nothing you can do. You are helpless. Risch said research on pesticide exposure shows that chronic exposure includes worsening of asthma, headaches, dizziness and flu-like symptoms. Other exposure levels can be much worse. Pesticide exposure is very serious and can include asthma attacks which can obviously be fatal, serious allergic reactions like Kelsey experienced and even cancers, which we do see in our soccer population and the children in Peachtree City. The specific cancers associated with pesticide exposure are leukemia, non-Hodgkins lymphoma and brain tumors. Im a nurse so I believe an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And if it has happened in the past it will happen again, Risch continued, recalling her children and others covered in a blue-green substance on one occasion after soccer practice. The likelihood is a whole lot greater that a lot of other children have been exposed and we want to avoid having one more person experience this. Risch said the company that applied the pesticide would not release the names of the specific chemicals used to treat the fields. Applications made as recently as last week were claimed by the company to be benign, though parents could not obtain the names of the substances. In the mean time, Risch said, Kelsey had a a fourth reaction while at the soccer fields. This is completely unacceptable, she stressed. A couple of parents have noticed a pattern where they would bring their kids home from practice and two or three times during the season theyll be very sick, needing breathing treatments or perhaps needing to go to the doctor. Risch said there are alternatives to some types of pesticide applications. Weve worked extensively with the city to secure a field for test purposes, she said. We hope to show that the alternative method adequately cares for the field without endangering our children. Risch said the problem with adverse reactions can easily become compounded with exposure possible from multiple sources, including private lawns, public parks and schools. Parents must be vigilant in protecting their children. That vigilance, she said, includes being informed. |
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