New York
State has recently passed legislation No. S5343 of the Senate and legislation No.
A2477B of the state assembly to ban the utilization of chlorpyrifos in this State.
This is considered as a significant triumph of protecting children’s health. According
to this news, New York may become the first state of stopping the use of chlorpyrifos
in 2021.
Previously,
Hawaii State also issued a ban from chlorpyrifos in 2018. However, the ban will
not come into effect until the end of 2022.
Chlorpyrifos
is an organophosphorous ester that originates from the same chemical family as sarin
nerve gas. As a pesticide in agriculture, chlorpyrifos is used to prevent insect
pests from fruits and vegetables, such as apples, tangerines, broccolis and corns.
The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) already drew a conclusion in 2016 that
all application of chlorpyrifos is not safe. In spite of scientific evidence,
under Donald Trump’s control the EPA had to decline the ban from this pesticide.
Chlorpyrifos does serious harm to the health of
infants and children according to studies
It is demonstrated
in several studies that exposure to chlorpyrifos can have a detrimental effect
on infants and children, causing weight loss at birth, IQ reduction, lack of concentration
as well as late motoric development.
According
to the result from a recent research conducted by the Independent Scientific
Review Group on Toxic Air Pollutants in California, chlorpyrifos can affect the
health of children and sensitive groups with less exposure to it seriously,
damage of brain and neurodevelopment included. Just in April this year, chlorpyrifos
was listed as Toxic Air Contaminant in the California Law, with a definition
that chlorpyrifos can cause or contribute to an increase in mortality or
serious disease, or is a toxic air pollutant that harbours a great potential
risk in human health. The Pesticide Administration was required to take
necessary measures regarding the health of farm workers and residents nearby
the areas used with pesticides.
In terms of
controlling pests, the use of chlorpyrifos covers a wide range of crops, such
as alfalfa,
almond, tangerines, cotton, grapes, and walnuts. In the past decade, the
consumption of chlorpyrifos
faced a drop due to the existence of safer alternatives of the pesticide. From
2005 to 2009 the consumption of chlorpyrifos underwent a decrease by 50% from 2
million pounds to around 900 thousand pounds. Since 2001 the EPA has been
banning household from the use of chlorpyrifos. In 2015, the Pesticide
Administration confirmed chlorpyrifos as restricted substance. A permission
from Agriculture Commissioner was required in order to use it. In addition, any
application of chlorpyrifos must be recommended by licensed Pest Control
Consultant under the supervision of professionals with a licence.
China already banned vegetable cultivation from
chlorpyrifos in 2016
China
controls highly toxic pesticide in a strict way. Pursuant to the announcement
No. 2032 of China’s Ministry of Agriculture in 2013, using chlorpyrifos for
vegetable cultivation was forbidden. From the end of 2014, the registration of
using chlorpyrifos and triazophos on vegetables was revoked. From the end of
2016 the China’s Ministry of Agriculture totally banned the use of chlorpyrifos
on vegetables.
For more information about China’s pesticide
market, please have a look at our monthly newsletter Insecticides China News.