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Proposal to ban Chlorpyrifos

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to ban a widely used insecticide in the U.S.

At the center of the EPA proposed ban is a court order requiring the agency to respond to alleged health concerns associated with chlorpyrifos, stemming from a 2007 activist petition.

Garry Hamlin, spokesperson for Dow AgroSciences, says the latest EPA action is a proposal only, and not a final regulatory action.

“And it will have no impact on the use of chlorpyrifos in the 2016 growing season, at least as written by EPA now,” Hamlin said.

Hamlin tells Brownfield products like Dow’s Lorsban, which contain chlorpyrifos, are widely used because of the number of crops it protects.

“Many growers find that it’s an important tool in their tool box and they want to keep it,” said Hamlin.

He says Dow AgroSciences is providing EPA with state-of-the-art data to support chlorpyrifos – to try and keep those products available.

Audio: Garry Hamlin, Dow AgroSciences, spokesman