John,
Chlorpyrifos is a pesticide that causes brain damage in children -- so why did a court just decide that it should still be sprayed on our food?[1]
Together, we convinced the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban chlorpyrifos in 2021.[2] But now, that ban has been overturned in court -- meaning chlorpyrifos could be back on the menu for the 2024 growing season.
But it's not too late to protect kids from this toxic pesticide. The EPA still has the authority to make the final decision on whether the total ban on chlorpyrifos should be reinstated.
Tell the EPA: Ban this brain-damaging pesticide.
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The court decided that the EPA was too quick to confirm that chlorpyrifos is dangerous, and has ordered the agency to reevaluate whether any use of the chemical could be considered safe.
But the science has been clear for years: This stuff is just too dangerous to allow it anywhere near the food we eat.
Chlorpyrifos is so risky that it was banned for household use decades ago, but it was still sprayed by farmers on citrus trees, apple orchards, strawberries, broccoli, cauliflower, and much more.[3]
When chlorpyrifos is sprayed on crops, traces of the toxic pesticide wind up in the grocery store, and ultimately in the meals our families eat. When the EPA investigated chlorpyrifos exposure in U.S. kids, the agency discovered that children can ingest up to 140 times the safety limit in their lifetimes.[4]
Add your name to help protect kids' health from toxic pesticides.
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Kids exposed to chlorpyrifos are at risk of serious harm. The chemical has been linked to neurological damage and developmental problems.[5]
That's why it's so important that we convince the EPA to stick to the science and reaffirm that all uses of this brain-damaging chemical should be banned.
We've won on this issue before, so we know we can win again. When PIRG and our national network mobilized to gather more than 27,000 petition signatures to the EPA urging the agency to ban chlorpyrifos in 2021, the agency listened.
But right now, we need to act fast. The 2024 growing season is coming up quickly, so the sooner the EPA can reinstate its ban on chlorpyrifos, the less likely it is that this hazardous chemical will be used on the food we eat next year.
Tell the EPA: Chlorpyrifos is still too dangerous to use.
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Thank you,
Faye Park
President
1. Bailee Henderson, "Court Overturns EPA Ban of Toxic Pesticide Chlorpyrifos for Food Crops," Food Safety Magazine, November 9, 2023.
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2. Coral Davenport, "E.P.A. to Block Pesticide Tied to Neurological Harm in Children," The New York Times, August 18, 2021.
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3. Dan Charles, "EPA Decides Not To Ban A Pesticide, Despite Its Own Evidence Of Risk," NPR, March 29, 2017.
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4. "Updated Human Health Risk Analyses for Chlorpyrifos," Environmental Protection Agency, November 10, 2016.
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5. Coral Davenport, "E.P.A. to Block Pesticide Tied to Neurological Harm in Children," The New York Times, August 18, 2021.
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