"The agency says the widely used chemical chlorpyrifos is an important tool for the nation’s farmers"
"The Environmental Protection Agency rejected a petition by environmental and public health groups Thursday to ban a widely used pesticide that has been linked to neurological damage in children, even though a federal court said last year there was “no justification” for such a decision.
In a notice to the Federal Register on Thursday, the agency wrote that “critical questions remained regarding the significance of the data” that suggests that chlorpyrifos causes neurological damage in young children. The agency said that the Obama administration’s decision to ban the product — used on more than 50 crops, including grapes, broccoli and strawberries — was based on epidemiological studies rather than direct tests on animals, which have historically been used by the EPA to determine a pesticide’s safety.
The EPA’s decision, which represented a win for industry, drew swift condemnation from groups that have pushed for years to remove the pesticide from the market."
Brady Dennis and Juliet Eilperin report for the Washington Post July 18, 2019.
SEE ALSO:
"E.P.A. Won’t Ban Chlorpyrifos, Pesticide Tied to Children’s Health Problems" (New York Times)
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