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Yesterday (July 18), the Environmental Protection Agency rejected a long-contested petition challenging the sale of the pesticide chlorpyrifos, a product linked to brain damage in children. The agency announced it would publish its decision in the Federal Register, asserting that data demonstrating the reported health effects is “not sufficiently valid, complete or reliable.”
Chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate, hails from the same chemical family as nerve agents such as sarin, famous for its weaponized use in World War II. Studies led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) itself have found that families exposed to chlorpyrifos in agricultural communities or apartment buildings had children with lower birth weights and reduced IQs, among other developmental issues.
The pesticide has been largely phased out of residential use since 2000, but its agricultural use remains widespread. Farmers apply chlorpyrifos to more than 50 crops, including apples, almonds, and broccoli, and to control pests ...
