California School District Bans PFAs and Other Harmful Chemicals from School Floors
California school district ban PFAS and other
harmful chemicals from school floors
Woodland, CA. On December 18, 2019, the Woodland Joint Unified School
Trustees unanimously adopted a new sustainable floor policy that bans PFAS,
lead, 4-PC, PBDEs, phthalates, and other hazardous chemicals commonly found in
school carpets.
Mothers in this town relate to the environmental thriller
“Dark Waters,” starring Mark Ruffalo, now playing in their downtown movie
theater. The film follows the real-life story of a tenacious corporate lawyer,
Rob Bilott, who risked his career and family to seek justice for a West
Virginia town poisoned by a Dupont factory. Bilott discovered that Dupont
hid its own research that PFAS, the fluorinated chemicals used to make Teflon,
can cause cancer and birth defects.
Made
of chains of strong carbon-flourine bonds, PFAS are dubbed “forever
chemicals” because the body can’t break them down. These
persistent chemicals now contaminate the water systems of hundreds of millions
of Americans. But, the largest source of exposure to PFAS may not be your
tap, but under your feet. That’s because these same chemicals have been
added to carpets for stain resistance.
In 2017, the Woodland school district installed new “Green
Label” carpets in classrooms and at least a dozen children were sickened.
Some of their parents organized the Woodland Coalition for Green Schools to press for broad environmental
reforms in their schools. In 2018, WJUSD became one of the first school districts in the county to ban Round-up.
The coalition also convinced the district to switch to integrated pest
management, restart its defunct recycling program, adopt fragrance-free
cleaning products, and ban air fresheners in the classroom.
Last night mothers celebrated after the school board
unanimously passed the flooring policy. “Although trustees were initially
skeptical that carpets could be dangerous,” says coalition founder and leader,
Dr. Liza Grandia, “safe floors became a priority because we all know that
children are ‘rugrats.’ They spend a lot of time touching and breathing
close to the ground. After we read disturbing reports in 2017 and 2018 showing
that ‘green label’ carpet can contain dozens of hazardous ingredients,
including PFAS, we had to take action as parents.”
The mothers, represented by Legal Services of Northern
California, appealed with a William Act complaint to the California Department
of Education and requested that the District replace the carpets in the
affected classrooms.
Learning from this experience, the school district’s new
sustainable flooring policy follows three core principles:
(1) School districts can't trust the word
of industry and should always consult third-party certifications,
(2) Staff and parents must stay abreast
of new research about possible harmful chemicals to children’s health; and
(3) Budgets should take into account
savings from the “total cost of ownership” of hard floors that last longer than
carpet and are easier to maintain.
Reflecting on all these reforms, Superintendent Tom
Pritchard remarked, “Just a few years ago, the idea of having a ‘green school’
would have generated a conversation about the color of a building. But at
WJUSD, that’s changing.”
Bill Allayaud of the Environmental
Working Group praised the
Woodland policy saying, "Excellent work by the school board and committed,
concerned citizens. Importantly, the new policy addresses the now ubiquitous
Teflon-like chemicals that are being sold as ‘must have stain resistant’
components. This move is good for the children, the teachers, and certainly the
workers who clean the classrooms.”
Added Heidi Sanborn, Executive Director of the National Stewardship Action
Council, which has worked on carpet recycling since 2015, “We have learned
about the toxics in carpet and other flooring products and are delighted the
Woodland School District is putting the health of kids and employees
first. We hope more schools and businesses follow the Woodland public
schools’ lead in adopting sustainable floor policy to drive a cleaner and safer
flooring industry.”
**********************************************************************
About
the Woodland Coalition for Green Schools. This grassroots organization formed in
September 2017 to work for more environmentally healthier and sustainable
schools. Our goals are threefold:
(1) To remove environmental health hazards from
classrooms, cafeterias, and campuses.
(2) To reduce the district's ecological footprint
and integrate sustainability principles throughout management.
(3) To help form and educate the next generation of
environmental citizens.
Contact: Liza Grandia,
Ph.D., coordinator