U.S. environmental groups seeks ban of chlorpyrifos

Two environmental groups sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today, demanding that the federal government decide whether to ban a widely used pesticide that has been linked to illnesses, including asthma and developmental problems such as attention deficit disorder.

The chemical chlorpyrifos was banned for household use nine years ago by the EPA, which cited its effects on children, including delayed mental and motor skill development. But it is still widely used as an insecticide on corn, grapes, oranges, almonds and other crops, on golf courses by landscaping businesses and for pest control in urban areas.

The lawsuit is the result of a petition filed in 2007 by the plaintiffs, the Natural Resource Defense Council and the Pesticide Action Network. At that time, the groups asked the EPA to ban all uses of the pesticide.

"Its been three years, and they havent given an answer one way or another," said Kevin Regan, a lawyer with Earthjustice, which filed the suit on behalf of the other groups.

"In its class, this pesticide is the worst of the worst. Its effects can range from headaches to neurological disorders, and in theory it could cause death," he said.

Regan noted that a number of other countries have already outlawed use of chlorpyrifos, including South Africa in May.

Farmers and others who use the pesticide, however, say there are no good alternatives and that chlorpyrifos can be used safely.

The suit, filed in federal court in New York, seeks to compel the EPA to make a decision. Dale Kemery, a spokesman for the agency, said federal officials have not seen the suit and could not comment.

The chemical is used for various reasons in all nine Bay Area counties, according to the state Department of Pesticide Regulation.

However, it is most widely used in the Central Valley and is polluting 29 of the states waterways, mostly in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, according to state records. It can cling to crops that have been sprayed, Regan said, but is also capable of vaporizing or settling onto dust particles and being carried through the air.

Regan cited the experience of a 24-year-old Lindsay (Tulare County) resident, Luis Medellin, who lives near orange groves sprayed with chlorpyrifos. Medellin said he and his family suffer headaches, nausea and vomiting when the pesticide is being sprayed, and testing has shown that he has five times as much chlorpyrifos in his body than the national average reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The suit contends that the EPA has had plenty of time to make a decision on the issue; Regan noted that their public comment period on the matter expired in December 2007.

Farmers, however, oppose the all-out banning of the chemical, said Cynthia Cory, director of environment for the California Farm Bureau Federation. She said the EPA has conducted risk assessments and determined it can be used in a safe manner, and that it is an important tool in farmers arsenal when it comes to protecting crops.

Use of chlorpyrifos by California farmers, she said, has declined by more than half in recent years.

"We have to continually evaluate chemicals and make sure they are used in the safest way - but I do believe that has been done with this chemical," she said. "Its a widely used chemical in California and across the U.S., and its used on a wide range of insects. Theres no alternative thats going to replace it tomorrow, but we try to continue to reduce its use."