Reporting by Christiana Freitag for Chicago Tribune:
TREMONT, Ill. — On her 43 acres of woods and reclaimed native prairie in rural Tazewell County, Katie VandenBerg walked the edge of her property, inspecting a line of oaks bordered by miles of corn and soybean fields.
The oak leaves are curled and stunted — damage she believes is tied to pesticide applications on nearby farms.
Since buying the land three years ago, VandenBerg, whose family has lived in Tazewell County for seven generations, said she has “gone down a rabbit hole” trying to understand how drifting chemicals are affecting her trees.
Then, this spring, that threat reached her 10-year-old daughter, Genevieve.
Hundreds of children had gathered outside Bethel Lutheran School in nearby Morton for a jump-rope fundraiser when a chemical odor swept across the parking lot. Across the street, according to Illinois Department of Agriculture records, farmer Mark Eigsti was spraying pesticides on his soybean fields as wind gusts topped 19 miles per hour. These kinds of conditions are known to increase the risk of drift — when chemicals move beyond their intended targets.
That evening, parents received an unusual message from the school principal: “Showers for All Tonight.”
For VandenBerg, the email was immediately alarming.
“Well, hold on. This is more than just showers for everybody,” she said. “This is a big deal. This is not OK.”
Commercial pesticides are being detected in public spaces like schools and parks, according to recently released research by Prairie Rivers Network, an Illinois-based nonprofit that advocates for water health. In addition, environmental advocates say Illinois doesn’t have an established method to track agricultural pesticide drift and lacks the regulations to prevent exposure like what occurred in Morton.
One of the main problems with determining the extent and dangers of pesticide drift in Illinois, advocates say, is a system that largely responds only after harm is reported.
“People have a right to know because these chemicals don’t stay put,” said Amy Doll, executive director of Friends of the Illinois Nature Preserves. “This isn’t a farmer issue. This is a chemical industry issue.”
After receiving the email, VandenBerg rushed her daughter into the shower, sealed her clothing for testing and filed a complaint with the state Agriculture Department that same night. Eight others filed complaints, according to the agency’s records obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests.
The day after the incident, state inspectors collected samples from the site, including Genevieve’s clothing. Testing detected traces of the herbicides Glory 4L and Trifluralin 4EC, classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a possible human carcinogen.
In the days that followed, students and staff reported headaches, sore throats, skin irritation and red eyes, according to state Agriculture Department interviews. Investigators later concluded that more than 200 children and staff were exposed.
While her daughter has not experienced lasting health effects, VandenBerg worries about what remains unknown.
“She’s a 10-year-old girl, and someday she wants to be a mom,” she said. “You never know how these things affect people’s long-term health.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics has warned that children may be especially vulnerable to pesticide exposure, citing links between early-life exposure and developmental and behavioral issues. But researchers say major gaps remain in understanding the long-term impacts of both acute and chronic exposure.
“That’s the big question for a lot of families,” VandenBerg said. “What are the long-term effects of kids literally getting drifted on?”
Last month, the state Agriculture Department fined Eigsti $250,000 and revoked his pesticide applicator license, citing violations of the Illinois Pesticide Act, including spraying in excessive wind.
Eigsti appealed the penalty at an Aug. 4 hearing and has a follow-up appearance scheduled for Sept. 1. He did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Under Illinois law, none of the $250,000 fine will go to affected families. The money is instead directed to the state’s Pesticide Control Fund, which supports public education on proper pesticide use and covers enforcement and inspection costs. Some environmental advocates say those funds should pay for research into exposure risks.
“We’re just so far behind on researching the impacts,” said Lindsay Keeney, chief programs officer for agricultural conservation at the Illinois Environmental Council, a nonprofit advocacy group focused on environmental legislation. “What are our children being exposed to?”