Chlorpyrifos Sunset in Sight
Is the end in sight for the agricultural insecticide chlorpyrifos? On April 29, 2021, a three-judge panel at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the Environmental Protection Agency within 60 days to either ban chlorpyrifos completely, or to fix safe tolerances for it in food residues. The 9th Circuit’s ruling came in response to a petition from environmental groups dating from 2007. One dissenting judge said the order amounted to a de facto ban, since the EPA has already found no safe levels within foods.
If this is indeed the end, it’s the end of an artificially extended lifespan. An outright ban has been sought for years by environmental groups but was complicated by debates both within and outside the EPA over what types of scientific studies and evidence to consider in assessing the risks of chlorpyrifos. Unlike glyphosate, chlorpyrifos has not been branded a carcinogen by the World Health Organization or any other agency. The WHO is conducting its own assessment of its risks.
On the basis of some studies showing potential neurological damage to infants, the Obama administration was set to ban chlorpyrifos in 2015, but that decision was reversed in 2017 by Scott Pruitt, President Donald Trump’s choice to head the EPA. Chlorpyrifos was given a renewed registration lasting until 2022. The EPA is due to publish a final risk assessment by Oct. 1, 2022.
One of a class of chemicals called organophosphates developed originally for nerve gas warfare, chlorpyrifos was re-purposed as an ag pesticide by Dow Chemical in 1965. It was effective because it targeted the nervous systems of numerous insect classes. It remains an ingredient in hundreds of ag pesticide branded formulations; brand names include Lorsban, Vulcan, Stallion, Cobalt and Lock-On. These have been used for decades on corn, soybeans, fruit trees, citrus, cotton, nuts, alfalfa and many other crops. The ingredient remains popular with some farmers because it is a broad-spectrum insecticide, unlike others that more narrowly target specific pests.
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If this is indeed the end, it’s the end of an artificially extended lifespan. An outright ban has been sought for years by environmental groups but was complicated by debates both within and outside the EPA over what types of scientific studies and evidence to consider in assessing the risks of chlorpyrifos. Unlike glyphosate, chlorpyrifos has not been branded a carcinogen by the World Health Organization or any other agency. The WHO is conducting its own assessment of its risks.
On the basis of some studies showing potential neurological damage to infants, the Obama administration was set to ban chlorpyrifos in 2015, but that decision was reversed in 2017 by Scott Pruitt, President Donald Trump’s choice to head the EPA. Chlorpyrifos was given a renewed registration lasting until 2022. The EPA is due to publish a final risk assessment by Oct. 1, 2022.
One of a class of chemicals called organophosphates developed originally for nerve gas warfare, chlorpyrifos was re-purposed as an ag pesticide by Dow Chemical in 1965. It was effective because it targeted the nervous systems of numerous insect classes. It remains an ingredient in hundreds of ag pesticide branded formulations; brand names include Lorsban, Vulcan, Stallion, Cobalt and Lock-On. These have been used for decades on corn, soybeans, fruit trees, citrus, cotton, nuts, alfalfa and many other crops. The ingredient remains popular with some farmers because it is a broad-spectrum insecticide, unlike others that more narrowly target specific pests.
Click Here to read more.