Roughly 4,000 schools in the United States are located within 1,000 feet of pesticide sprayed crops like corn and soy.  It is estimated that 90% of the chemicals used may drift away from the area being sprayed.  Clouds of chemicals could be filling the classrooms of our nation’s youth in these agricultural areas.  The long-term effects could be devastating as these young bodies grow and develop.  I wonder if there has been actual testing done to examine what levels of farm toxins are lurking on these campuses.  Someone close to me lived in a farming area while pregnant.  After giving birth, it was discovered that her child had a mild birth defect.  Her doctor suggested that it may have happened because of pesticide drift from the local farms.  This defect could be corrected with surgery and was, but gives moms something to think about when living in these chemical laden farming zones.  Like smoking has “tobacco free zones” why can’t we live in “pesticide free zones”?  The spray not only impacts the farms, but the air, water, and soil in the surrounding areas. The rivers in these areas could be full of poisonous runoff from all this spraying.   No wonder our bees and butterflies are disappearing!  A decade ago we used Roundup on our garden since the young man at the hardware store assured us that it biodegraded in two days.  We discovered that this rumor was not true and took our chemical to our local hazardous waste center for disposal.  Since then, we are completely pesticide free.  Birds, bees, and butterflies love visiting our garden.  It is a “safe” zone for them and for us.    In 2014 spending on cancer medications was at an all time high of 100 billion dollars.  Some studies estimate that 1:2 males will get cancer and 1:3 females will get cancer.  People shouldn’t have to tolerate being sprayed with unwanted chemicals in their area.  Click on the link below to see how much pesticide is being sprayed in your area.

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