29
Feb
(Beyond Pesticides, February 29, 2024) In the face of federal inaction, an Oregon regulation banning the agricultural uses of the highly toxic chlorpyrifos took effect on January 1, 2024. Chlorpyrifos was voluntarily withdrawn from the market in 2000 for most residential uses by its manufacturer, Dow Chemical, and has been the subject of extensive litigation. At that time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allowed most agricultural uses to continue. Oregon joins four other states that have acted to ban chlorpyrifos, including Hawai’i, New York, California, and Maryland.  Central to state action are nervous system and brain effects in children, especially farmworker children. Chlorpyrifos is banned in 39 countries, including the European Union (see here for more Beyond Pesticides coverage). State action has become important since the November 2023 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit, which overturned the EPA rule revoking all food tolerances for chlorpyrifos, an effective ban on chlorpyrifos use. The final EPA rule, issued in August 2021, came in response to a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that found the agency’s inaction on chlorpyrifos unlawful. The case was filed by Earthjustice, on behalf of public health, labor, and disability organizations. The […]
Posted in Agriculture, Chlorpyrifos, Dow Chemical, Drift, Environmental Justice, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Farmworkers, Nervous System Effects, Oregon, Pesticide Regulation, Pesticide Residues, Uncategorized | No Comments »
05
Jul
(Beyond Pesticides, July 5, 2023) After nearly 40 years since the Bhopal, India manufacturing facility leaked 47 tons of a chemical used in pesticide production, exposing half a million people and killing thousands, a new study in the BMJ Medical Journal has shed light on the enduring health and human capital effects resulting from in-utero exposure. The study finds significant negative impacts on both economic and health outcomes. Individuals who were in the womb during the disaster exhibited lower birth weights and remain more susceptible to respiratory problems, cognitive impairments, and other health issues later in life. Moreover, those born just after the gas leak were found to have lower educational attainment and reduced earning potential as adults. Over the past four decades, Beyond Pesticides has consistently reported on the Bhopal Gas Disaster, which stands as one of the most devastating industrial tragedies in history [1] [2] [3] [4]. The calamitous night of December 2, 1984, resulted from a gas leak of the highly toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) from a Union Carbide Corporation (now owned by Dow Chemical Company) manufacturing facility. MIC is an intermediate chemical used in the production of insecticides such as carbaryl (Sevin), aldicarb, and other carbamate […]
Posted in Aldicarb, Carbamates, Carbaryl, Chemicals, Pesticide Regulation, Uncategorized | No Comments »
