Big news: A federal court has ruled that chlorpyrifos, a toxic pesticide commonly sprayed on fruits and vegetables, is too dangerous to be used to grow our food — and the EPA must take action to protect the public.
Credit: Jacob Pritchard for NRDC
Big news: A federal court has ruled that chlorpyrifos, a toxic pesticide commonly sprayed on fruits and vegetables, is too dangerous to be used to grow our food — and must be banned by the EPA, unless the EPA can identify uses that won’t pose health risks.
For pregnant women and children, exposure to low levels of the pesticide can lead to increased risk of learning disabilities, including reductions in IQ, developmental delay, and behavioral problems. And farmworkers and their families, who are predominantly Latino, face the most exposure to this harmful chemical.
That’s why states across the country have already banned or are in the process of banning the use of this product — and now the EPA must follow suit.