CHLORPYRIFOS
Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate pesticide, which works to block the enzyme cholinesterase and impairs the central nervous system. Chlorpyrifos is a dangerous pesticide that can damage the developing brains of children, causing reduced IQ, loss of working memory, and attention deficit disorders.
U.S. staple foods such as corn, wheat, apples and citrus are sprayed with chlorpyrifos, putting our health and environment at risk. There are also non-agricultural uses for chlorpyrifos, such as golf courses and turf grass. People are exposed to chlorpyrifos through residues on food, drinking water contamination, and toxic spray drift from pesticide applications.
A growing body of evidence shows that prenatal exposure to very low levels of chlorpyrifos—levels far lower than what EPA was previously using to establish safety standards—harms babies permanently. EPA prohibited the indoor use of Chlorpyrifos in 2001, due to the unacceptable risk to children’s health. In November 2016, EPA released a revised human health risk assessment for chlorpyrifos that confirmed that there are no safe uses for the pesticide. Despite the overwhelming scientific evidence that chlorpyrifos poses an unacceptable risk to public health, the Trump administration has resisted efforts to adopt a ban on chlorpyrifos.
In absence of federal leadership, states are taking steps to restrict the use of chlorpyrifos within their own borders. The states of Hawaii and California quickly passed legislation prohibiting toxic chlorpyrifos, while similar legislation was introduced in New York, Connecticut, and other states.
VICTORY in New York State: CCE was successful in our work to support a statewide ban on chlorpyrifos in New York. In December of 2019, Governor Cuomo directed the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to take immediate action to ban aerial use of chlorpyrifos. DEC was also directed to have regulations in place to ban chlorpyrifos for all uses, except spraying apple tree trunks, by December 2020. Chlorpyrifos will be banned for all uses in NYS by July 2021.