Eleven environmental, labor, and medical groups filed suit in a U.S. appeals court in California on Wednesday to ban use of the insecticide chlorpyrifos. It was the second time the groups have sought to force the EPA to ban the widely used organophosphate pesticide, already barred from residential use, because of its risks to human health.
The EPA decided in mid-July that the insecticide could remain in use on fruits and vegetables and that it would review the pesticide in 2022. Patti Goldman, attorney for Earthjustice, which filed the lawsuit, said, “EPA has repeatedly found chlorpyrifos unsafe, especially to children, yet time and time again, it refuses to protect kids.”
Environmental groups petitioned the EPA in 2007 to end agricultural use of chlorpyrifos. Soon after taking office, the Trump administration denied the petition. In April, the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals gave the EPA 90 days to reach a final decision on the chemical.
Meanwhile, California announced in May that it will phase out use of chlorpyrifos over a two-year period. The insecticide could be banned in Europe early next year because the European Food Safety Authority says there is no safe exposure level for chlorpyrifos, reported Food Safety News.