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Chlorpyrifos remains an environmental lightning rod

An insecticide used to combat soybean aphids continues to generate environmental concerns.

Joshua Stamper with the Minnesota Department of Ag says over the past five years, growers have turned to chlorpyrifos because of resistance to synthetic pyrethroids.

“And as we’ve seen the increased use of chlorpyrifos to address soybean aphids, we’ve also seen increases in surface water features that are exceeding the water quality standards for chlorpyrifos.”

He tells Brownfield the chlorpyrifos label under the trade name Lorsban includes significant setbacks.

“And we’ve spent the last three years working through our licensing and certification programs, providing education about the use of chlorpyrifos to address soybean aphids.”

Under the Obama Administration, the EPA proposed a federal ban on chlorpyrifos in 2015, but former administrator Scott Pruitt reversed that decision two years later.

Several states have proposed legislation to completely outlaw its use.

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