Court Rules EPA Must Ban Chlorpyrifos Pesticide — Or Prove It Is Safe

"A federal appeals court on Thursday ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency must ban a widely used pesticide linked to neurological damage in children from being sprayed on food crops, unless the agency can demonstrate safe uses for the chemical.

The 2-to-1 ruling by judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit comes nearly two years after the Trump administration’s decision to keep chlorpyrifos on the market despite appeals by environmental and public health groups.

The pesticide has been used for a half-century on an array of fruits and vegetables. Over time, though, evidence has associated exposure with health issues such as headaches and blurred vision and longer-term risks such as lower birth weight and neurological damage to children, and pressure has grown for a complete ban."

Brady Dennis reports for the Washington Post April 29, 2021.

SEE ALSO:

"Court Rules That EPA’s Delay “Exposed a Generation of American Children” to Brain-Damaging Pesticide Chlorpyrifos" (The Intercept)

"Appeals Court Tells EPA To Ban Pesticide Or Decide It’S Safe" (AP)