EPA to Ban Use of Pesticide Chlorpyrifos on Food to Protect Children’s Health
On August 18, EPA announced it will ban the use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos on all food to better protect human health, and particularly the health of children and farmworkers. EPA is revoking all “tolerances” for chlorpyrifos, for the amount of a pesticide that is allowed on food, and will cancel registered food uses of chlorpyrifos under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Chlorpyrifos is used for a large variety of agricultural vegetables, fruits, and trees, and has been associated with potential neurological effects in children. EPA is taking this action in response to an order by the Ninth Circuit Court that started from a 2007 petition requesting that EPA revoke all chlorpyrifos tolerances, and that the Agency denied in 2017 under the previous administration. For more information, read the press release, and visit the EPA website.
