E.P.A. Won’t Ban Chlorpyrifos, Pesticide Tied to Children’s Health Problems

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/18/climate/epa-chlorpyrifos-pesticide-ban.html

 

 

By Lisa Friedman

July 18, 2019

 

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration took a major step to weaken the regulation of toxic chemicals on Thursday when the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would not ban a widely used pesticide that its own experts have linked to serious health problems in children.

Chlorpyrifos

Chlorpyrifos (CPS) is an organophosphate pesticide used on crops, animals, and buildings, and in other settings, to kill a number of pests, including insects and worms. It acts on the nervous systems of insects by inhibiting the acetylcholinesterase enzyme. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorpyrifos

 

 

Researchers studied the blood of women who were exposed to chlorpyrifos and the blood of their children from birth for three years. Children who had chlorpyrifos in their blood had more developmental delays and disorders than children who did not have chlorpyrifos in their blood. Exposed children also had more attention deficit disorders and hyperactivity disorders.

In general children may be more sensitive to pesticides than adults. One reason for this is that their bodies may break down pesticides differently. Children are also more likely to be exposed to pesticides when playing and may put their hands in their mouths more often than adults. Children may also be more sensitive to exposures because they have more surface area of skin for their body size than adults.

 

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/chlorpgen.html