The Lumberjack

Issue date: 10/3/07 Section: Campus

Media Credit: Elizabeth Hilbig

Media Credit: Elizabeth Hilbig

Media Credit: Elizabeth Hilbig

Media Credit: Elizabeth Hilbig

Joey Tuohy started playing rugby in August. Within days, a rash broke out all over her body. A rash she has never had before, and one the doctors could not explain.

"At first I thought, I am allergic to rugby," Tuohy said. Now she wonders if it is the pesticides Humboldt State University uses on its fields.

Over twenty years ago, the Arcata City Council declared a moratorium on the use of all pesticides within the city. "The City shall not use any pesticides on or in any city owned, operated or maintained property, building or facility except in accordance with the City's pest control management plan," Title V - Sanitation and Health, Chapter 4.5 Pest Control, City of Arcata Ordinances.

The State of California requires that school districts use the least toxic pest management practice. If a K-12 school district wants to use pesticides, it must provide written notice to parents, guardians, and staff beforehand, according to the Healthy Schools Act of 2000.

Pesticides are unnecessary, program director for Californians for Alternatives to Toxics, Patty Clary said. "This makes [Humboldt State] stand out as a bad neighbor."

Approximately two tons of pesticides are in storage at Humboldt State. The pesticides in storage have been used on the lower playing field, upper playing field, the lawn areas around campus, LK Wood Boulevard lawn medians and in the sidewalk cracks to kill unwanted weeds.

"Five years ago we had seven [garden specialists] working full-time to pull weeds," said Stephen Lee, a garden specialist at Humboldt State. "Now there are three [garden specialists] working full-time trying to keep the weeds halfway in line," he said.

The campus probably uses fewer pesticides today than it did before, Lee said. Before, they used to spray and spray. Now, instead of treating the same plants repeatedly with pesticides, they remove them, he said.

The campus stores and uses at least two pesticides. Their trade names are One-Shot and Round-Up. Both are herbicides. Round-Up is a liquid, non-selective herbicide, which kills whatever plants it comes into contact with. One-Shot is a granular, selective herbicide. It kills broad-leaf plants, such as dandelions, while allowing grasses to grow.

One-Shot is a weed and feed. The chemicals 2,4-D, Mecoprop-p, Dicamba, Dithiopyr, along with other unlisted ingredients kills the weeds.

"2,4-D is a hormone disruptor," Clary said. "It mimics estrogen."

2,4-D is a component of Agent Orange. U.S. forces sprayed approximately two million gallons of Agent Orange on plant life during the Vietnam War to expose the enemy, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Web site. "Some veterans reported a variety of health problems and concerns which some of them attributed to exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides."

This concerns John Davies, a recently retired Humboldt State garden specialist. The pesticides in storage could be applied anywhere at any time, he said.

"Pesticide is a catch-all phrase. It's any chemical that kills anything," Davies said. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Web site defines pesticides as "any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest."

Pesticide is a broad term that includes herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and twenty other pest types and control methods according to the EPA's Web site.

"I do not use pesticides," Davies said, "But I don't think the other [garden specialists] that are using pesticides are posting notices, like they are supposed to."

If pesticides are to be applied on campus it must be done in compliance with all applicable State and Federal regulations. In addition, Humboldt State agreed to show support for an Associated Students Resolution dated November 23, 1991 by providing information and posting notice of pesticide applications.

Joan Tyson, Associated Students manager, said she does not have any electronic or paper record of the Associated Students' resolution. The sixteen-year-old resolution has no teeth in 2007.

Haley French, graduate student in the energy, environment and society program and team captain for Humboldt State's women's rugby team, has played on the campus events field for three years and has never seen any posted signs declaring pesticide use.

Doug Kokesh, Humboldt State's grounds and landscape service manager, said One-Shot is used once every six months on the lawns. It was used on the median strips on LK Wood Boulevard recently, but the gardeners did not post any notice signs. "I chewed some butt for that. They are supposed to post," he said.

The policy the grounds and landscaping department follows for posting notice about pesticides use requires that a half-sheet of paper, printed on cardstock is staked around the lawn at 100 to 200 feet intervals for the first 48-to-72 hours after application. On playing fields, signs are usually posted on the chain link fences near the entrance.

"I think the signs could be bigger for the playing fields," Kokesh said. "That's something we could be doing better."

Jocelyn Orr can be contacted at jmo32@humboldt.edu