Final signature count: 19,040

19,040 signatures toward our 50,000 goal

The EPA’s decision to limit the use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos rather than take it off the market puts the health of all children in the US at risk.

Farmers have been using chlorpyrifos since 1965 under the trade name Lorsban1. Chlorpyrifos is commonly used to keep insects and worms out of everything from almond groves to strawberry fields to citrus orchards. Until 2000 it was used indoors for keeping houseflies at bay. That was before the federal government’s own environmental scientists linked the toxic chemicals in chlorpyrifos to serious health issues.

Chlorpyrifos residue commonly shows up on unwashed supermarket produce. When ingested, it attacks the nervous system, causing dizziness, vomiting and diarrhea1. When farmers apply chlorpyrifos to their plants, they must wear special clothing to protect themselves.

The danger doesn’t stop there.

Chlorpyrifos has also been linked to stunted brain growth in children, which led to a ban on its use in agricultural operations in 20152. Five years later, the EPA reversed its stance on chlorpyrifos, citing uncertainty about those previously proven risks3.

The EPA directly contradicted federal scientists’ conclusions that chlorpyrifos causes developmental disabilities in children4.

Rather, the agency posted new rules for labeling packages containing chlorpyrifos and recommended wearing personal protection equipment during use and avoiding applications on windy days5.

Labeling requirements will not keep chlorpyrifos out of our drinking water. Personal protection equipment will not keep chlorpyrifos out of our food. Keeping chlorpyrifos from drifting into other fields will not keep our children safe from this toxic chemical.

The science on chlorpyrifos is clear and unambiguous, and it has no place on our food or in our fields. Sign the petition below and demand the EPA ban the use of chlorpyrifos on food.