P.S. 98 Student's Parents Want Citywide Aerosol Ban

The parents of a P.S. 98 Elementary School fifth grader who recently called on the school to ban aerosol sprays said their son's teacher had requested students use deodorant after gym class.

Peter Pollicino told members of Community District Education Council 26 at the group's meeting this week that a teacher at the Douglaston school had suggested using Axe deodorant.

"I request that these products be banned throughout the system," he said. "They contain methane, alcohol and propane. The list goes on and on. I think if any kid with respiratory problems comes into contact with aerosol, it could be a dangerous situation."

Pollicino's son, William, had come home from school with a headache and sore throat several times this year.

"I found out when he was playing with his friends, he was getting exposed to aerosol deodorants, which I found out has a lot of allergens," Pollicino said.

Last month, the Douglaston father had come before the education council to discuss the matter. His wife, Marie Pollicino, is a member of the group's board.

At that meeting, he said his son had been sprayed with Axe deodorant by fellow students. Students create clouds of spray and challenge each other to run through them, he said.

On one occasion, Pollicino's son had to go to the emergency room following an incident during which he was sprayed. The boy, who does not have asthma, was having trouble breathing.

"When they spray each other, it becomes a hazard," Marie Pollicino said.

Margie Feinberg, a spokeswoman for the city's Department Education, said the agency does not have a policy to prevent the use of aerosols in schools and that it is up to a school's principal to rule on such matters.

Pollicino said he wrote a letter to P.S. 98 Principal Sheila Huggins to request a ban on the sprays at the school or to require that teachers instruct students how to properly use the products.

P.S. 98 is located at 40-20 235th St. in Douglaston near the neighborhood's Long Island Rail Road station.

On Wednesday, district education council member Susan Shiroma said students in her children's class had also been asked to use similar products.

"My boys have been instructed to use deodorants and anti-perspirants," she said.