MEDIA CONTACT:
Maureen Swanson, Healthy Children Project Director, Learning Disabilities Association of America, 724.813.9684
Sen. Udall, Senate Leaders Introduce Bill to Ban Chlorpyrifos Nationwide
Legislation endorsed by Learning Disabilities Association of America, one of the plaintiffs fighting Chlorpyrifos in the courts
Washington, DC (March 28, 2019) – A day after President Trump’s EPA once again argued for delaying its own ban of chlorpyrifos in court, Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) introduced the Protect Children, Families and Farmworkers from Nerve Agent Pesticides Act, legislation that would ban the dangerous chemical. The Learning Disabilities Association of America calls on Congress to act swiftly to pass Sen. Udall’s bill to protect children from this widely used, highly neurotoxic pesticide, which can contribute to learning and developmental disorders in children.
LDA has been a leading advocate nationally and in the states for bans on chlorpyrifos, and is one of the organizations represented by environmental law organization Earthjustice, in litigation against the EPA on its lack of commitment to protect people from chlorpyrifos. LDA is joined in that litigation by other health organizations, labor leaders and farmworker communities.
“Chlorpyrifos is designed to harm the nervous system – and it works. The scientific evidence is clear that chlorpyrifos changes babies’ brains,” said Maureen Swanson with the Learning Disabilities Association of America. “EPA has no business allowing this dangerous pesticide on the fruits and vegetables we feed our children. We applaud Sen. Udall and his colleagues for this urgently needed bill.””
Chlorpyrifos is a widely-used agricultural pesticide linked to reduced IQ, attention deficit disorder and other developmental impairments in children. Chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate that comes from the same chemical family as sarin nerve gas, is used on staple foods, such as strawberries, apples, citrus, broccoli, and more. Weeks after former EPA boss Scott Pruitt met with the head of the largest manufacturer of chlorpyrifos, Dow Chemical, Pruitt falsely claimed in 2017 the science is “unresolved” and decided EPA would study the issue until 2022.
This week, in oral arguments before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Earthjustice attorney Patti Goldman argued for faster action on a nationwide ban, contending that EPA continues to sit on administrative objections to its approach to chlorpyrifos. “The Trump Administration is fighting tooth and nail for a pesticide EPA’s own scientists found unsafe to children,” Goldman said. “Make no mistake, chlorpyrifos in our food means children are needlessly eating, drinking and breathing this dreadful pesticide.”
More: What You Need to Know about Chlorpyrifos
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About the Learning Disabilities Association of America:
The Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) is a national non-profit organization working to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities, and to reduce the incidence of learning disabilities in future generations. LDA and its state and local affiliates provide service, information and advocacy for individuals with learning disabilities, parents, educators, and health professionals. ldaamerica.org @LDAAmerica @HealthyChildrenProject
