States sue EPA over decision to keep harmful pesticide on the market
Several states sued the EPA over its decision to allow the continued sale of a widely-used pesticide. States are concerned that the EPA decided to keep the chemical chlorpyrifos on the market after EPA scientists last year determined that chlorpyrifos, when ingested, can harm the nervous system and damage children’s brain development.
“Job number one for the EPA should be protecting Americans’ well-being, especially that of our children,” said Eric Schneiderman, the attorney general of New York, in announcing the legal action. “Yet the administration is jeopardizing our kids’ health, allowing the use of a toxic pesticide for which it can’t even identify a safe level.”
The states joined in the suit are Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, Vermont, and Washington, and they are also joined by the District of Columbia.
The EPA is responsible for protecting our health and our environment — but when it comes to chlorpyrifos, the EPA has fallen short. In November of last year, the EPA announced plans to ban the use of chlorpyrifos, so it came as a shock in April of 2017 when the EPA announced abruptly that it was going to allow the continued use and sale of the pesticide. The EPA’s new decision ignored the recommendations of EPA scientists to ban the chemical.
This lawsuit comes 2 weeks after major news outlets reported that EPA administrator Scott Pruitt met with Dow’s CEO 20 days prior to the EPA’s controversial decision on chlorpyrifos. Dow is a major manufacturer of chlorpyrifos, and has been selling chlorpyrifos for use on farms since the 1960s. The EPA denies that the meeting between Pruitt and Dow’s CEO had any effect on the chlorpyrifos decision.
Chlorpyrifos is sprayed directly on the crops we eat every day. Some crops the pesticide is applied to are corn, soybeans, fruit, and nut trees. As a result, traces of the chemical are commonly found in sources of drinking water. A 2012 study at the University of California at Berkeley found that 87 percent of umbilical-cord blood samples tested from newborn babies contained detectable levels of chlorpyrifos.
According to EPA scientists, chlorpyrifos can harm human health when ingested, even at low levels. It is also known to be damaging to children’s brain development. Exposure in the womb and early childhood stunts brain development which leads to developmental delays, lowered IQ, and an increased risk of ADHD and autism.
Chlorpyrifos can also harm farmworkers. Just this May, over 50 farmworkers were injured by chlorpyrifos. Farmworkers outside of Bakersfield, California were exposed to chlorpyrifos that drifted from a nearby field, causing many to go to the hospital due to injuries.
This chemical should not be used on the food our families eat every day. And, considering the danger it poses to children, it is irresponsible for the EPA to allow its continued use on our fresh fruits and veggies. We deserve safe food, a safe environment, and healthy crops.
Since the EPA is falling short on this issue, states have stepped in. Individuals in Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, Vermont, and Washington, also joined by the District of Columbia, should thank their attorney general for joining in this lawsuit. If your state has not yet joined, write your attorney general and urge that your state join the lawsuit to ban chlorpyrifos.
