WASHINGTON – The Biden Environmental Protection Agency on Monday announced a proposed rule to prohibit most uses of the insecticide chlorpyrifos. The agency previously pushed to ban all uses of the crop chemical on foods, but the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals tossed that ban in a November 2, 2023 ruling.
The following is a statement from Environmental Working Group Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Scott Faber:
This action builds on President Biden’s historic chemical safety record, including actions taken to protect us from PFAS, asbestos, TCE, methylene chloride, DCPA, acephate, PCNB, Pentachlorophenol, PCE and NMP.
No administration has done as much to protect us from toxic chemicals. Taking action to protect farmworkers and rural residents from paraquat, which increases the risk of Parkinson’s disease, would build on this remarkable record. More than 70 countries have already banned this toxic weedkiller.
EWG for years has urged the EPA to ban chlorpyrifos and is similarly calling on the Biden administration to ban the toxic herbicide paraquat. For more information, visit banparaquatnow.org
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The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.
