"Federal Suit Seeks Ban of Common Pesticide"

"Two environmental groups sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, demanding that the federal government decide whether to ban a widely used pesticide that has been linked to illnesses, including asthma and developmental problems such as attention deficit disorder.

The chemical chlorpyrifos was banned for household use nine years ago by the EPA, which cited its effects on children, including delayed mental and motor skill development. But it is still widely used as an insecticide on corn, grapes, oranges, almonds and other crops, on golf courses and for pest control in urban areas.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in New York, is the next step after a petition was filed in 2007 for the plaintiffs, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Pesticide Action Network. At that time, the groups asked the EPA to ban all uses of the pesticide."

Marisa Lagos reports for the San Francisco Chronicle July 22, 2010.