The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to decide by mid-July whether to ban chlorpyrifos, a widely used pesticide for corn, soybeans, fruit and nut trees, Brussels sprouts, cranberries, broccoli and cauliflower as well as other row crops.

 

In March 2017, EPA denied a petition that asked it to revoke all pesticide tolerances (maximum residue levels in food) for chlorpyrifos and cancel all chlorpyrifos registrations. The agency concluded that, despite several years of study, the science addressing neurodevelopmental effects remains unresolved and that further evaluation of the science during the remaining time for completion of registration review is warranted. As a part of the ongoing registration review, EPA said it will continue to review the science addressing the neurodevelopmental effects of chlorpyrifos.

 

On Aug. 9, 2018, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered EPA to ban chlorpyrifos within 60 days. The following month, the U.S. Department of Justice asked the Ninth Circuit to reconsider its opinion.

 

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