Peachtree City officials have halted plans to treat soccer fields with pesticide and herbicide after a group of parents complained about an incident two years ago that sent two soccer players to the hospital and caused headaches and nausea for several others.

But biologist Dennis Chase said the problems may be caused by the water used to irrigate the soccer fields, which is pumped from nearby Line Creek. Chase said the city tested the water back in 1995 and found nothing wrong, but he was worried about the solid material on the bottom of the storage pond being contaminated.

The City Council agreed Thursday night to have the material from the pond tested, and to have city staff collect information on the risks of pesticide and herbicide exposure to children and the safety of those chemicals.

Corrine Risch, a nurse at Children's Hospital in Atlanta, told the City Council that the two players who went to the hospital were treated for breathing problems after they were exposed to pesticide treatments that left a dye on their skin and clothes. Some other players developed headaches and nausea that may also be attributed to the exposure, she said.

Bill Langworthy, whose daughter Kelsey had to be taken to the emergency room with respiratory problems after she was exposed to the pesticide, said she would rather play soccer on a field of weeds than on grass if that's what it took to get rid of the chemicals.

Kelsey had developed a small rash, and after taking a shower her breathing got much worse and she was taken to the ER in an ambulance, Langworthy said.

Langworthy said Kelsey went