EPA Will Not Ban Pesticide Linked to Brain Harm in Children

Even though the pesticide chlorpyrifos has been linked to brain harm in children, it will not be banned in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday.

The agency said data highlighting health concerns about the pesticide were "not sufficiently valid, complete or reliable" and added that it would continue to monitor the safety of chlorpyrifos through 2022, The New York Times reported.

In 2015, the Obama administration said it would ban chlorpyrifos after EPA studies showed that the pesticide could damage brain development in children. That ban was reversed by the Trump administration in 2017, which triggered legal challenges. In April, a federal appeals court gave the EPA a July deadline to issue a final ruling on whether to ban chlorpyrifos, The Times reported.

Hawaii banned chlorpyrifos in 2018, and California and New York are considering similar measures. Consumers and environmental groups are urging the European Commission to ban the pesticide. In the United States, the chemical industry and farmers have lobbied to continue using chlorpyrifos, saying it is needed to protect crops, The Times reported.

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