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Protecting Babies by Standing Up Against Toxic Chlorpyrifos
By Charlotte Brody, RN
What would you do if you learned that a certain insecticide is being passed from pregnant women to their babies? And that the more of that chemical that the child gets while still in their mother's womb, the greater the damage to that baby's developing brain? And what if you found that this pesticide, which leads to mental delays and attention disorders, leaves its residues in our food and water and on the beds and kitchen counters of the homes near the farmland where its sprayed.
In 2016, the Obama Administration's EPA learned all of this and decided to ban all uses of the chemical chlorpyrifos. The European Union's review of the science came to the same conclusion and announced that since there is no safe level of the chemical, they will ban the use of chlorpyrifos, starting in 2020.
But a few weeks ago, the Trump Administration announced that they were reversing the Obama EPA decision and permitting the continued use of chlorpyrifos on fruits and vegetables.
HBBF's partner Earthjustice is going back to court and urging people to contact their Congressional Representative. Environmental Working Group (EWG), another HBBF partner, is gathering names for a petition to grocery chains, like Safeway and Kroger, to get them to refuse to sell produce that's been sprayed with chlorpyrifos.
HBBF encourages you to take both actions. Protecting babies' brains shouldn't be a partisan political issue.
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