It has been over a century since the chemical called chlorpyrifos or more popularly known as Lorsbanhave been introduced to farmers. It is not uncommon to hear farmers using chemicals because the same is being used as pest control in Sydney in order to protect their crops. The chemical is utilized in order to kill a wide range of pests that are living on different crops such as citrus trees, strawberries and broccoli. The EPA has already announced a ban for the use of the spray in indoor environments which is used over a decade ago by households to eliminate unwanted bugs.
In the past few years, the EPA has also suggested that the chemical should not be used in agriculture because of the resulting scientific evidence that fetus of the pregnant women who are exposed to the chemicalmay risks having damage on their nervous system as well as underdevelopment in the brain.
It was in 2015 when the EPA under the administration of former president Barack Obama submitted a proposal to ban the use of chlorpyrifos in all food products. This proposal was made after the Natural Resources Defense Council and Pesticide Action Network North America sent a petition. A judge from the federal court has already given a deadline to decide on the chemical ban.
The administrator of EPA, Scott Pruitt, has given an answer and they have decided to reject the proposal to ban the chemical. In a statement made by Pruitt, he said that they have to make sure that a certain regulation is given to thousands of farmers in America that are using the chlorpyrifos. They will be able to utilize the chemicals while making sure that it does not affect human heath as well as the environment. They have decided to go against the decision of the previous administration because they believe that sound science should be used when deciding such matters instead of relying on predetermined outcomes.
The Office of Pest Management Policy’s director, Sheryl Kunickis, said that the same pesticide is used in pest control in Sydney and many parts of the world thus they are in agreement with the decision of the EPA.