A central Illinois school fundraiser was followed by an alarming instruction to parents: "Showers for All Tonight."
The warning came after pesticide drift from a nearby farm exposed more than 200 children and staff.
Here's what to know
According to the Chicago Tribune, families at an outdoor jump-rope fundraiser at Bethel Lutheran School in Morton said a chemical smell moved across the parking lot from soybean fields being sprayed across the street.
Weather records in a state investigation showed wind gusts above 19 miles per hour, conditions that can make it easier for chemicals to travel beyond their intended target.
For Katie VandenBerg, whose 10-year-old daughter Genevieve was at the event, the school's email signaled this was far more serious than a routine cleanup.
"This is more than just showers for everybody," she said. "This is a big deal. This is not OK."
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Later testing found traces of two herbicides, Glory 4L and Trifluralin 4EC, in samples collected at the site, including on Genevieve's clothing.
In July, the Illinois Department of Agriculture fined farmer Mark Eigsti $250,000 and revoked his pesticide applicator license, citing violations that included spraying in excessive wind. He has appealed.
More background
The Morton case reflects a wider problem in Illinois: pesticide drift is typically investigated only after someone suspects an exposure and files a complaint.
Children are considered especially vulnerable to pesticide exposure, though researchers have said major questions remain about lasting effects. As the Tribune noted, the American Academy of Pediatrics has warned of links between early-life exposure and developmental or behavioral issues.
"That's the big question for a lot of families," VandenBerg told the publication. "What are the long-term effects of kids literally getting drifted on?"
In Illinois, Prairie Rivers Network reported finding herbicides in more than 90% of 127 plant tissue samples gathered over six years.
In a later addendum focused on parks and schools, the researchers said they detected pesticides more than 200 times at 10 Illinois sites and identified 18 different chemicals.
"It's not just happening on trees in the middle of a nature preserve," said Amy Doll of Friends of the Illinois Nature Preserves, per the Tribune. "These chemicals are showing up in places where we as a community and our children play and go to school."
What's being done?
A proposed "good neighbor" bill, supported by advocates and some lawmakers, would require at least 72 hours' notice before spraying within a half-mile of schools and parks. Even a basic heads-up could allow schools to move activities indoors or keep children away from adjacent fields.
State Representative Laura Faver Dias said, "This [Morton case] is literally the point of the bill," adding that the goal is "to make sure school leaders are informed of when pesticide spraying happens so they can be empowered to make decisions for their school."
Agricultural groups have opposed the proposal, arguing that changing weather and field conditions make it difficult to provide advance notice.
Notification would address only part of the issue if the state still lacks routine air monitoring to show how often these chemicals move through communities.
As things stand, residents often have to recognize a possible problem, document it and report it themselves.
"It's an unfortunate event, but we kind of needed something like this to happen," VandenBerg said. "This stuff's happening all over the state, and the only problem is that nobody else knows what to do."
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