[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”0″ padding_right=”0″ hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”underline solid” sep_color=”#000000″ margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]EPA proposes total ban on the insecticide chlorpyrifos for agricultural uses[/title][fusion_text]Friday, October 30th 2015
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed a total ban on the insecticide chlorpyrifos for agricultural uses, saying it has been unable to make a safety finding as required under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) by a court-imposed Oct. 31 deadline. The agency opened a 60-day comment period on its proposed rule and said it will make a final decision based on stakeholder comments, including from farmers who rely on chlorpyrifos-containing products to protect their crops from destructive insect pests. The agency noted that it was under an Oct. 31 deadline, set by a federal appeals court in August, to respond to allegations about the pesticide alleged in a 2007 activist petition. The groups that brought the original lawsuit – the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Pesticide Action Network – contend that chlorpyrifos causes brain damage to children and poisons field workers. In its notice proposing to ban the pesticide, EPA says chlorpyrifos is currently used by about 40,000 U.S. farms on a wide variety of crops, such as corn and soybeans, and that some farms growing certain crops (for example, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and citrus) may be affected more than others by a ban. It added that cost effective alternatives are available to control many of the pests targeted by chlorpyrifos. Non-agricultural uses of chlorpyrifos, including golf courses, turf, green houses, and on non-structural wood treatments such as utility poles and fence posts, are not affected by the proposed rule.
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