Chlorpyrifos: Take Action to Help Us Secure the Ban

Submit comments to the Environmental Protection Agency about its move to ban chlorpyrifos today -- the comment period ends tomorrow, January 5th!

In October, the Environmental Protection Agency at long last moved to ban the use of chlorpyrifos in agriculture -- a huge win for agricultural workers. Exposure to the organophosphate insecticide is documented to contribute to a wide range of health complications, including reduced birth weight, reduced IQ, and delayed mental and motor development for children exposed in the womb. The EPA chose to revoke all food residue tolerances for chlorpyrifos due to its inability to demonstrate its safety as required under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). 

Yet, the ban doesn’t cover all farmworkers. Non-food uses of the chemical -- in diverse locations like Christmas tree farms, in alfalfa and cotton fields, on golf courses -- will continue. 

The EPA initially moved to evaluate the pesticide as a result of a legal petition from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA), followed by a lawsuit taken up by Earthjustice. Now, those same partners are asking for health justice and farmworker advocates to urge the EPA to ban ALL uses of chlorpyrifos. 

The EPA is accepting public comment on its move to ban chlorpyrifos until January 5th. Join MCN and health justice advocates in supporting a full ban on chlorpyrifos by submitting comments to EPA Administrator McCarthy.

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