Page I of 3

Ford Hallam

From: "Brendon Bailes" <bailes@iafrica.com>

To: <info@fordhallam.com>; <venetia@solworks.co.za>; <joosthuizen@problemsolved. cn.za>
Cc: "'CIaire Goffe-Wood"' <claire@chameleonsmontessori.co.za>
Sent: 12 March 2010 02:45PM
Subiect: RE: Allegations re exposure to pesticides : Montessori school
Are we going to ta[e this recklbss article and let it influence our school reputation?

Has every parent been notified?

Brendon Bailes

From : Tatib Foundation [mailto :tatibfoundation@gmail.com]

Sentr Friday, March L2,20LO 2:15 PM
To: bailes@iafrica.com; info@fordhallam.com; venetia@solworks.co.za;
joosthu izen@ problemsolved.co.za
Subject: Allegations re exposure to pesticides : Montessori school
Impoftance: High

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Dear parents

Towards the end of last year, we received a couple of complaints alleging that the children at the
abovementioned school were often caught in spray drift, when the adjacent vineyards of Nitida
were sprayed by means of tractror pulled "mist blowing" centrifugal crop sprayers.

We immediately contacted "Fmma" who told us that during the spraying the children were
confined indoors with all doors and windows firmly closed - in other words they would not come
into contact with ay spray drift residue. We explained to Emma that even if the children were
confined indoors, this would not mean that they would not be exposed to potentially toxic
residues, that settle on the lawns and other surfaces. Most pesticides have residue levels ranging
from a couple of days up to 100 days depending on the pesticide used. We have well
documented cases where for example, acute contact dermatitis has been diagnosed after exposure
to laundry left on a washing line was caught in spray drift.

Children eat and drink more, they have higher metabolisms and they play outdoors, touching
objects and then putting their hands in their mouthes. The fact that your children and allegedly
brought indoors during the spraying is not a guarantee that they are not going to be exposed to
potentially toxic pesticides.

Emma asked us to email her further information, which we did - and in this regard never
received the courtesy of a response.

1O/JunelzAIA
 Page2 of 3

A couple of weeks ago, we agarn heard more "rumours" of a teacher that had fallen ill and could no
longer work, of some children falling ill and of toxicolgy tests done on one child that revealed
exposure to pesticides . There were even allegations that Emma's daughter had also had health
problems, due to the spraying, and that she had been moved to another school.

We followed up with yet another email to the school and then also to the President of Montessori SA-
Needless to say Emma did not respond and has not responded despite the fact that the President said
that she has urged her to contact Tatib.

And so we contacted the farm, and spoke with Kerry, who uidertook to furnish us with details as to
what has been sprayed. When a week had gone by and we had not heard from her, we phoned her
again yesterday. As a result of this we have managed to obtain the "spray list" from the farm and quite
frankly horriefied at the toxicity of some of the products ttrat have been sprayed.

Folpan & Dithane ( two of the products that have been sprayed ) are both on 3 international
carcinogen lists , endocrine disruptor lists & developmental I Reproductive Toxin lists, according to
studies done by the Pesticide Action Network North America. Professor Leslie London :
Occupational health & safety i Family medicine UCT has stated that Dithane contains Mancozeb,
which contains fuIanganese and that Manganese is aNeurotoxin.

Folpan's'Material Safety Data Sheets make specific reference to the fact that laboratory mice exposed
to the product developed tumours. The American Product Label makes specific reference to the fact
that this product may under no circumstances be sprayed near children, schools, parks, public places
and may not be used in the domestic garden.

:
The farm has, in writing, stated the following " The investigation that the school stafted early last year
already did highlight the possible carcinogenic isk of Dithane"

This "admission" by the farm seems to indicate that the school has been made aware of the toxicity of
some of these products, and that this was already done early in 2009, yet since then the children have
continued to be be exposed to potentially toxic pesticides and that the school appears to be "down
playing" the severity of the allegations.

From Tatib's persepctive there is more than enough proof and case studies done on the harmful effects
of exposure to pesticides, and that children are particularly at risk.

Act 36 of 1947 appears to have been broken - spray drift of agricultural chemicals
(pesticides/fungicides/lrerbicides) is not allowed to be blown into an area not under treatment - in this
case the school.

Whilst your children may not show serious symptoms right now, we have received reports of red and
itchy eyes, upper respiratory tract irritation & infections, asthma and bronchitis. The really serious
problems, like endocrine disruption, neurological damage and eventually cancer, take years to
develop.

Ygu as parents need to do something to protect the health of your children, before it is too late.

We urge you to network amongst one another - get this email out to as many parents as possible.

Whilst we cannot verifu what we have heard is in fact true or not, the fact that the school is situated
on a working wine farm is a very serious problem as case studies have shown that spray drift can be
blown up to 3lar , depending of course on humidity , wind strength etc. The current menthod of
spraying"blows mist" and the pesticide is dicharged at anozzle speed of up to 630 Km/I{ and at atate
of up to 8000litres per hectare.

10/Junan}rc
 Page 3 of 3

Kindly go and takc a look at the links below and then also read the attached files.

regards

The Tatib Foundation

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l0/Junel}01'A