{"id":28447,"date":"2020-12-23T00:01:57","date_gmt":"2020-12-23T04:01:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=28447"},"modified":"2020-12-22T19:53:03","modified_gmt":"2020-12-22T23:53:03","slug":"trump-epa-gives-neurotoxic-insecticide-chlorpyrifos-another-thumbs-up-ignoring-brain-effects-in-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2020\/12\/trump-epa-gives-neurotoxic-insecticide-chlorpyrifos-another-thumbs-up-ignoring-brain-effects-in-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump EPA Gives Neurotoxic Insecticide Chlorpyrifos Another Thumbs Up, Ignoring Brain Effects in Children"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

(Beyond Pesticides<\/em>, December 23, 2020) The litany of parting shots by the waning Trump administration got longer on December 4, when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed interim decision<\/a> on the very toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos<\/a>, functionally continuing its registration for many agricultural uses. The interim decision purports to put in place new limitations on use of this pesticide, but they are wholly inadequate to the threat this compound represents \u2014 to young children, most concerningly, as well as to farmworkers, critical species and ecosystems, and the public. Chlorpyrifos should not be re-registered for use \u2014 i.e., its sale and use should be banned altogether, as Beyond Pesticides has asserted for years.<\/p>\r\n

Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate pesticide used on scores of food crops, for mosquito (and other pest) control, and for some turf management (golf courses, especially). It has been demonstrated to be highly neurotoxic<\/a>, especially to young children, leading to impaired cognitive function, developmental delays, lower IQs, attention deficit disorder, and a variety of other pervasive developmental and learning disorders. The essence of the compound\u2019s toxicity to developing brains lies in its function as a cholinesterase inhibitor<\/a>; chlorpyrifos binds to the receptor sites for acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme that is critical to normal nerve impulse transmission. In so doing, chlorpyrifos inactivates AChE, damages the central and peripheral nervous systems, and disrupts neurological activity.\u00a0In addition to its neurotoxic impacts, the\u00a0compound is associated with harmful<\/a>\u00a0reproductive, renal, hepatic, and endocrine disrupting effects.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

The Center for Food Safety (CFS) writes<\/a>: \u201cThe interim \u2018decision\u2019 leaves much undecided, including safety thresholds for chlorpyrifos exposure and possible mitigation measures, which EPA is currently negotiating with chlorpyrifos manufacturers.\u201d CFS also excoriates this latest decision: \u201cEPA has long been aware of the pesticide\u2019s toxicity. While most residential uses of chlorpyrifos were banned nearly two decades ago, the agency permitted its continued use in agriculture, creating a double-standard in which rural kids and farmworkers are left unprotected. People are exposed to chlorpyrifos in food and water, but also through inhalation of spray drift and vapor.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

CFS legal director George Kimbrell commented on the interim decision<\/a>: \u201cTrue to form, the Trump Administration has placed corporate dollars over public health. If allowed to stand, its proposal to continue registering this neurotoxic insecticide would cause irreparable harm to farmworkers and future generations. Everything possible must be done to ensure the Biden Administration reverses this proposal and once and for all bans this pesticide.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Having covered chlorpyrifos for many years, Beyond Pesticides concurs. It has reported on the tortuous path of EPA\u2019s relationship, as well as legislative, legal, and state responses, to chlorpyrifos. In April 2019, Beyond Pesticides provided a timeline of relevant developments<\/a> whose highlights are worth reviewing:<\/p>\r\n

\u00a0<\/strong>2001:<\/em> EPA negotiates \u201csuccessful\u201d cancellation of chlorpyrifos for residential use<\/p>\r\n

2007:<\/em> Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) and Natural Resources Defense Council file petition requesting EPA revoke all tolerances for chlorpyrifos<\/p>\r\n

2015:<\/em> Obama administration proposes revocation of all tolerances for chlorpyrifos<\/p>\r\n

2016:<\/em> EPA\u2019s revised human health risk assessment does not change the proposal to ban chlorpyrifos; Donald Trump is elected president<\/p>\r\n

2017:<\/em> Scott Pruitt reverses order; a coalition of environmental groups led by Earthjustice promptly sues EPA<\/p>\r\n

2018:<\/em><\/p>\r\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 June: Hawaii becomes first state in U.S. to outright ban chlorpyrifos, effective 2022<\/p>\r\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 August: court orders chlorpyrifos ban, finding EPA violated the law; Trump administration appeals the ruling<\/p>\r\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 December: Sen. Brian Schatz (HI) introduces the\u00a0Prohibit Chlorpyrifos Poisoning Students Act<\/p>\r\n

2019:<\/em><\/p>\r\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 January: Rep. Nydia Vel\u00e1squez (NY) reintroduces\u00a0The Ban Toxic Pesticides Act, H.R.230,\u00a0which would ban chlorpyrifos from commerce<\/p>\r\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 March:<\/p>\r\n