Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt seems to want to quickly turn the EPA into the Environmental “Polluting” Agency - and his latest move seriously threatens public health. Pruitt just gave a pass to a toxic pesticide that causes neurological damage in people: The EPA announced on March 29 that it would deny “a petition that sought to ban chlorpyrifos.”
Coming on the heels of support of the Trump Administration's attempt to roll back the Clean Power Plan - safeguards that would save 3600 lives a year - it’s clear that Pruitt and Trump are putting the profits of polluters and pesticides companies ahead of the health of American families.
The outrage was immediate from the medical and environmental community on the pesticide ban denial, with many pointing out the neurological damage chlorpyrifos can cause. Earthjustice is already taking legal action with NRDC. Senator Tom Carper, the ranking member on the House Environment and Public Works Committee, sent a letter to Pruitt outlining many concerns - including the fact that the EPA’s decision came with no new evidence.
From the letter: “(Chlorpyrifos) has been linked to neurological damage and other adverse health impacts. EPA’s March 29 decision did not present any new scientific or legal analysis on which to base its reversal….(S)ince the Agency did not provide any new analysis to refute its existing scientific conclusion that the pesticide can’t be used on food with a ‘reasonable certainty of no harm’ to people who ingest it, the statute requires EPA to ban such use, not allow it to continue.”
1. Chlorpyrifos is very hard to pronounce.
— grist (@grist) April 5, 2017
2. It's also a dangerous pesticide the @EPA decided not to ban. pic.twitter.com/4UqSykVNG4
Chlorpyrifos was banned from use in household products in 2000 because of its health effects - which were especially harmful to children. In the same chemical family as sarin gas, chlorpyrifos is still widely sprayed on fruits, nuts, vegetables, and leafy greens. The EPA proposed banning the pesticide altogether in 2015. Symptoms of its exposure also include nausea and dizziness. It also causes neurological damage in babies born to exposed mothers. From Senator Carper’s letter: “(One) study found that ‘even low to moderate levels of exposure to the insecticide chlorpyrifos during pregnancy may lead to long-term, potentially irreversible changes in the brain structure of the child.’”
So why the decision to reverse the ban? Judging by the many other environmental and public health standard rollbacks from the administration - done in rooms where Trump is surrounded by smiling fossil fuel and chemical executives - we are once again seeing the love of polluter money over public health by Trump, Pruitt, and many others in the administration.
Pruitt is rapidly working to cement his EPA legacy as one that ignores science, prefers fossil fuels to clean energy, climate denial over climate action, and letting polluting industries running amok rather than protecting the health of our families and communities.