Opposing Trump's EPA, California bans use of pesticide linked to children's health problems
California is the largest user of the pesticide chlorpyrifos, and on Wednesday, the state's Environmental Protection Agency moved to ban it.
Exposure to the chemical has been linked to developmental disorders and neurological damage in people and animals, with children hit especially hard. Unless an opposing party calls for an administrative hearing, the ban will take effect in 15 days. Environmentalists have been calling on the federal EPA to ban the pesticide, and during the Obama administration, the agency produced scientific studies showing the harm chlorpyrifos can cause. Last month, the federal EPA announced it would not ban the pesticide, claiming there was not enough data to show that an unsafe amount of residue is left on treated foods.
California's EPA head, Jared Blumenfeld, said the state went with a full ban because there was no way to keep the public safe and have the chemical still be effective. The federal EPA has "that same science, they have that same legal basis, and yet, based on what appears from the outside to just be politics, they've been foot-dragging — and in fact worse than that, not taking their regulatory role seriously," Blumenfeld told the Los Angeles Times. "We have to step into the void and take action where the federal government has failed to do so."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
State data shows that in 2017, more than 900,000 pounds of pesticide treated a wide range of crops, including grapes, citrus, and alfalfa. Blumenfeld said farmers were made aware a ban would happen one day, as the state has been enacting more and more restrictions. There is a working group now trying to identify alternatives to chlorpyrifos.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Trump gets $289M break, first criminal trial date
Speed Read The former president's fraud bond has been reduced to $175 million from $464 million
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - March 26, 2024
Cartoons Tuesday's cartoons - the House GOP abandon ship, Joe Biden sets his stall, and more
By The Week US Published
-
US-Israel rift widens after UN cease-fire resolution
Speed Read The U.S. declined to veto a U.N. resolution calling for a two-week "immediate cease-fire" in Gaza
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billion
Speed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds cap credit card late fees at $8
speed read The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to save households an estimated $10 billion a year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Immigration helped the US economy outpace peers
speed read The U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 3.2% last quarter
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
4-day workweek gets boost from UK study
Speed Read Following a six-month trial, the majority of participating British companies are still using the truncated schedule
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US sues to block Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The Federal Trade Commission sued to block the $24.6 billion merger between the grocery giants
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Nvidia sees historic stock rise on AI chips success
Speed Read U.S. chipmaker Nvidia achieved the biggest one-day increase in value of any company in history
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New York may seize Trump's assets for $450M penalty
Speed Read The former president likely owes $600 million from two civil judgments in New York
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published