Biden admin to ban pesticide tied to children’s health problems, reverses decision during Trump :: WRAL.com

[ad_1]

By Devan Cole and Liz Stark, CNN

CNN – A widely used pesticide that could cause potential health issues in children will no longer be used in food in the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday, reversing a Trump -era decision not to banning the controversial chemical.

“Now the EPA is taking extreme measures to protect public health. Ending the use of chlorpyrifos in food will help to ensure that children, farm workers, and all people are protected from these potential that this pesticide is dangerous, ”EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement.

“After the delay and rejection of the previous administration, EPA will follow science and prioritize health and safety,” he added.

The statement said the agency will lift all “tolerances” for chlorpyrifos, which are used in crops including soybeans, broccoli, cauliflower, and fruit and nut trees and also have “non-food uses . ” The chemical has been “linked to potential neurological effects in children,” the statement said.

Under former President Donald Trump, the EPA announced in 2019 that it would not ban the pesticide after concluding there was not enough evidence of chemical hazards to justify the ban requested by environmental groups and a group of state.

The agency banned chlorpyrifos for household use in 2000, but allowed agricultural producers to continue using it.

This story is broken and will be updated.

-CNN-Wire ™ and © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.

[ad_2]