California, the nation's top agriculture state, moved Wednesday to ban chlorpyrifos, a pesticide believed to cause brain damage in babies. The news comes just days after a federal appeals court gave the Environmental Protection Agency 90 days to decide whether to ban the pesticide.
"Regulators in several states have taken steps in recent years to restrict the pesticide used on about 60 different crops in California, including grapes, almonds and oranges," Brian Melley reports for The Associated Press. "Hawaii banned it last year, and New York lawmakers recently sent a measure to the governor outlawing use of the pesticide."
California has taken previous steps to cut down on chlorpyrifos, Melley reports: "Use of the pesticide has been reduced by more than half in California since 2005, to just under 1 million pounds (450,000 kilograms) used on crops in 2016."
Chlorpyrifos, introduced in 1965, is one of the most extensively studied pesticides, so the research linking it to developmental delays in children is substantial, Melley reports. It was banned for indoor use in 2000, and under President Obama EPA proposed a total ban. President Trump's first EPA administrator reversed that order, saying more research was needed.
The ban could take six months to two years to take effect. In the meantime, "the state Department of Pesticide Regulation has recommended that county agriculture commissioners adopt stricter rules on where and how the chemical can be applied, including larger buffer zones," Melley reports. "To help farmers make the transition away from chlorpyrifos, California is adding contributing $5.7 million to the development of safer alternatives."
"Regulators in several states have taken steps in recent years to restrict the pesticide used on about 60 different crops in California, including grapes, almonds and oranges," Brian Melley reports for The Associated Press. "Hawaii banned it last year, and New York lawmakers recently sent a measure to the governor outlawing use of the pesticide."
California has taken previous steps to cut down on chlorpyrifos, Melley reports: "Use of the pesticide has been reduced by more than half in California since 2005, to just under 1 million pounds (450,000 kilograms) used on crops in 2016."
Chlorpyrifos, introduced in 1965, is one of the most extensively studied pesticides, so the research linking it to developmental delays in children is substantial, Melley reports. It was banned for indoor use in 2000, and under President Obama EPA proposed a total ban. President Trump's first EPA administrator reversed that order, saying more research was needed.
The ban could take six months to two years to take effect. In the meantime, "the state Department of Pesticide Regulation has recommended that county agriculture commissioners adopt stricter rules on where and how the chemical can be applied, including larger buffer zones," Melley reports. "To help farmers make the transition away from chlorpyrifos, California is adding contributing $5.7 million to the development of safer alternatives."
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