Raleigh Pesticide Safety Advocate Featured in Grist Magazine

Billie Karel, program coordinator at the Pesticide Education Project in Raleigh, answers questions today from readers of Grist, an online environmental magazine known for its irreverent approach to weighty issues. Karel's appearance comes as PESTed celebrates 20 years of working for pesticide safety reform and environmental justice in North Carolina. The nonprofit held a party to celebrate its work earlier this month at Celebrity Dairy in Siler City, N.C.; click here for photos of the event.

PESTed recently won a big victory at the state legislature, securing passage of the School Children's Health Act. The law requires North Carolina's public schools to reduce their use of toxic chemical pesticides by switching to a less harmful approach known as "integrated pest management." As Karel told Grist:

Schools must now also notify parents and staff annually of their pest-management program, and 72 hours in advance of any high-risk pesticide application at school if they so request. This is the first right-to-know legislation ever passed in North Carolina, and boy are we proud.

The new law will also establish guidelines for reducing schoolchildren's exposures to diesel fumes, mold and mildew, arsenic-treated wood, and elemental mercury. Its sponsors included state Rep. Grier Martin, a Raleigh Democrat who's up for re-election Tuesday.