Chlorpyrifos: EPA to ban pesticides linked to children’s health issues, overturning Trump-era decision

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“Today, the EPA is taking belated action to protect public health. Ending the use of chlorpyrifos on food will help ensure children, farm workers and all people are protected from the potentially dangerous consequences of this pesticide, “EPA administrator Michael Regan said in a statement. declaration.

“After the delays and denials of the previous administration, the EPA will follow the science and put health and safety first,” he added.

The statement says the agency will revoke all “tolerances” for chlorpyrifos, which is used on crops such as soybeans, broccoli, cauliflower, fruit trees and nuts and also has “non-food uses. “. The chemical has “been linked to potential neurological effects in children,” the release said.

Under then-President Donald Trump, the EPA announced in 2019 that it would not ban the pesticide after concluding that there was insufficient evidence of the chemical’s dangers to justify the ban requested by environmental groups and a group of states.

The agency banned chlorpyrifos for household use in 2000, but allowed agricultural producers to continue using it. The product has been registered in the United States since 1965 and has been shown to be effective against mosquitoes, cockroaches and fire ants.

The United States joins several other countries and states that have restricted the use of the pesticide, including Canada, New York, California and Hawaii, the EPA noted.

In 2017, then EPA administrator Scott Pruitt rejected a 2007 petition asking the agency to ban the use of chlorpyrifos in the United States.

The petitioners, some scientists and environmental groups have claimed that chlorpyrifos can interfere with the development of the brain and nervous system in children. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, exposure to chlorpyrifos can cause a range of symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, seizures and paralysis.

This story was updated with additional details on Wednesday.

CNN’s Gregory Wallace, Ellie Kaufman and Susan Scutti contributed to this report.

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