Energy, Environment and Resources Center

Jack Barkenbus, Executive Director

Center For Clean Products and Clean Technologies

Gary A. Davis, Director

Office of Communications and Publications

David Brill, Director

Center for Geography and Environmental Education

Rosalyn McKeown-Ice, Director

Oak Ridge Technology Research and Development Program

Sheila Webster, Director

Systems Development Institute

Donald Alvic, Director

Pro-Dialogue

Mary R. English and David L. Feldman, Directors

Water Resources Research Center

Tim Gangaware, Associate Director

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Highlights and Initiatives is written and edited by Constance Griffith <cbgriffith@utk.edu>.

For more information call Gail Farris at 865-974-4251 or write to EERC, 311 Conference Center Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-4134.

Visit our Web site at: http://eerc.ra.utk.edu/

APPOINTMENTS AND HONORS. Senior Scientist David Feldman was named
President-elect of the Tennessee chapter of the American Water Resources
Association (AWRA) at the 13th Annual Tennessee Water Resources Symposium held at Montgomery-Bell State Park near Nashville.

Research Ecologist Jack Ranney was appointed to represent the Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council (EPPC) as a voting member of the Southeast EPPC Board of Directors. Ranney was already serving as TN EPPC’s vice president and as a nonvoting SE EPPC board member for SAMAB, the Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere program.

The University of Tennessee’s highest student honor, the Torchbearer Award, was presented to Student Intern Sarah Surak (Political Science) and six other students for academic achievement and service. Surak, co-chair of UT’s Recycling Task Force and president of Students Promoting Environmental Action in Knoxville (SPEAK), has conducted extensive recycling research and helped implement campus recycling activities. In addition, Surak serves as the Student Government Association’s Campus Beautification Director and secretary of the Tennessee Recycling Coalition.

PRESENTATIONS. Senior Research Associate Jack Geibig served as keynote speaker at the Electronic Design, Manufacturing, and the Environment symposium in Irvine, California. Geibig presented "Life-cycle Comparison of Energy Use During the Application of Lead-free Solders," preliminary results of an overall assessment of lead and lead-free solders. This research was completed through EERC’s Center for Clean Products and Clean Technologies in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Design for the Environment program.

Senior Research Associate Maria Socolof and Jack Geibig presented a tutorial on "Life-cycle Design and Electronic Products: Tools, Challenges, and Results" at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ International Symposium on Electronics and the Environment in Boston. Socolof also presented "Cradle to Gate Toxic Impacts of Solders: A Comparison of Impact Assessment Methods," a paper she coauthored with Geibig and colleague Mary Swanson.

Senior Research Assistant Ruth Anne Hanahan recently gave a presentation on Adopta-Watershed and environmental education to African Regional Project delegates for the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ International Visitor Program. The project, which explored U.S. sustainable development efforts, is designed to promote greater understanding and cooperation between the United States and African countries on matters of environment, health, and economic development.

Safety First

Protecting school children from common pests—and the chemicals used to control them—is a delicate balancing act. BY ELISE LEQUIRE

THE TRADITIONAL REGIME for pest control in the United States calls for regular application of insecticides: toxic chemicals designed to disrupt the nervous system, inhibit energy production, halt formation of the cuticle or outer shell, disrupt the endocrine system, or upset the water balance of targeted insects.

While pesticides registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have been tested for adverse health effects in animals, we have no clear data on how pesticides are affecting human health, especially children’s, because humans can’t ethically be exposed and tested.

"Animal studies have documented that in vitro exposure to some of these chemicals has very precise effects, including neurological, developmental, and respiratory problems," says Mary Rogge, a faculty associate with the University of Tennessee’s (UT) Energy, Environment and Resources Center and associate professor in UT’s College of Social Work.

We know, too, that children are more sensitive to chemicals, and pound per pound, kids breathe, eat, and drink more than adults, says Rogge. While most parents exercise good judgment in keeping their infants and toddlers safe, the issue of who’s responsible for maintaining a clean and safe environment for children in schools and child care is not nearly so clearcut. 

In nearly half of the 50 states, it’s up to school officials to deal with most environmental hazards, including pests such as cockroaches, ants, head lice, and stinging insects. "Certain sets of children may also be more vulnerable to exposure because of poverty, lack of resources, poor nutrition, compromised immune systems, and chemical exposures outside the school environment," says Rogge.

During 2001, Rogge and colleagues with UT’s Youth, Environment, and Health (UT YEAH) Research Team conducted a series of six regional workshops to discuss the concept of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) with stakeholders across the state of Tennessee. The project was funded by UT’s Environment and Natural Resources Research Council and Waste Management Research and Education Institute (WMREI), EPA, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The aim of IPM is to balance the very real risks of pests against the risks of exposure to pesticides. We know what pests can do; it’s less certain what the effects of pesticides are. A bill to require IPM programs in Tennessee’s public schools died in committee in 2002, so for now it’s primarily up to principals or purchasing agents to decide on pestmanagement programs. While implementation of IPM is strictly voluntary, Rogge says, input from concerned citizens and parents may sway decision makers.

"As more problems are identified, schools and other child-serving facilities will be faced with more liability issues," Rogge says. In addition, while IPM may be more costly to implement at first, Rogge says officials need to consider that healthier kids get better test scores and have fewer absences.

We can’t take the stand that chemicals are innocent until proven guilty, says Rogge. It’s just prudent to go another route when the options are available."

For more information, visit the UT YEAH Web site at <http://utyeah.utk.edu>. To read the full text of this article, access InSites volume 11, number 1 at <http://eerc.ra.utk.edu/insites/>.