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By Monica Medina and Rozi Beresin-Scher, ODP Contributing Writer
The Trump Administration announced last week that it has rejected the settled scientific evidence linking the pesticide chlorpyrifos to serious health problems, particularly in children. This pesticide, which is widely used on soybeans, almonds, grapes, and other crops, has been proven to harm children’s neurological development. The agency now claims that the science on the subject “remains unresolved,” which directly contradicts the agency’s own conclusions from just 5 years ago. In 2017, the Trump administration reversed Barack Obama’s 2015 pledge to ban chlorpyrifos. Now, the EPA is arguing that the scientific research itself is inconclusive by excluding several perfectly conclusive studies by citing “lack of access to raw data,” according to The New York Times.
Why this matters: Under the false flag of transparency, EPA is putting children at greater risk. The agency is now disregarding the science it previously relied upon apparently due to a proposed new rule allowing it to disregard studies where the patients’ identities and medical records are kept anonymous, a common practice in clinical research. As the New York Times put it when the “transparency” rule was first proposed, “[this] regulation would let the federal government dismiss or downplay some of the most important environmental research of the past decades.” It looks like that is exactly what EPA just did — despite the potential harm to children and farm workers.
Fetal exposure to chlorpyrifos has been linked to lower birth weight, learning disabilities, and loss of working memory for toddlers. As Earthjustice explained in its statement reacting to the EPA’s decision, “chlorpyrifos is just one of dozens of organophosphates (OP) pesticides linked with damage to the developing brains of children. A growing body of evidence shows that prenatal exposure to very low levels of chlorpyrifos — levels far lower than what EPA used to set regulatory limits — harms babies permanently. Studies show that exposure to chlorpyrifos, and other OP pesticides during pregnancy, is associated with lower birth weight, attention deficit disorders, autism spectrum disorder, reduced IQ, and loss of working memory.” Earthjustice sued the agency on behalf of dozens of farmworkers and health groups at the time when it first withdrew the Obama rule and won. In July of 2019 even when ordered to do so by the court, EPA refused to ban chlorpyrifos from food, a decision which Earthjustice again challenged in a case that is still pending.
By Natasha Lasky, ODP Staff Writer This week, the medical journal Lancet published their annual report on health in relation to climate change, subtitling it: “code red for a healthy future.” The report delves beyond the obvious effects of wildfires, hurricanes, and extreme weather events — looking at food security; livelihoods; human physical and mental […]
By Ashira Morris, ODP Staff Writer The EPA announced Monday that it will move toward regulating perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — manmade “forever chemicals” — that don’t naturally break down and can contaminate both air and water. These chemicals, found in various household products, from dental floss to nonstick pans, can also be harmful […]
The editors of over 230 medical journals said in a statement on Monday that climate change is a health issue and that its effects could become “catastrophic” if world leaders don’t do more to address it. The health impacts of climate change include wildfire smoke–which has been linked to an increase in positive COVID-19 cases–and pollutants […]
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