Salem, Oregon – Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield is leading a coalition of attorneys general from around the country including New York, California, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Vermont, Washington, and Washington D.C., in a major environmental and public health campaign urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to restore a comprehensive ban on the pesticide chlorpyrifos. Previously limited in many states including Oregon, this chemical is recognized to have negative impacts on human health, especially among youngsters, pregnant women, and farmworkers.
The debate about chlorpyrifos mostly revolves around its ongoing usage on some food crops despite clear threats.
“There is overwhelming evidence that shows that even at low levels, this pesticide can cause significant harm, including developmental delays and cognitive impairments,” said Rayfield in a news release. “The EPA needs to set zero food tolerances for chlorpyrifos, to ensure this dangerous pesticide does not enter our food supply.”
Chlorpyrifos has been extensively applied in agriculture historically for control of pests. But its harmful effect on neurological development has caused a reassessment of its safety in food manufacture. Previously suggesting to revoke all food tolerances for chlorpyrifos, the EPA stopped short of a total ban and continued its allowance on 11 key crops including apples, strawberries, and wheat. The decision has been criticized for applying outdated criteria aimed at averting acute poisonings instead of addressing long-term neurodevelopmental harm.
Oregon has taken proactive steps by banning the use of chlorpyrifos almost entirely starting in 2024—not just on food crops but also in other applications such as Christmas tree farming and golf courses. This state-level initiative highlights a more general issue about dangers related to pesticide use.
Attorneys general from New York, California, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Vermont, Washington, and Washington D.C. make up the coalition, which contends that the EPA’s current posture violates the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). This legislation requires the EPA to guarantee a “reasonable certainty that no harm will result from aggregate exposure” to pesticides like chlorpyrifos, therefore affecting infants and children.
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The call to action of AG Rayfield highlights the need of combining public health advocacy with the most recent scientific findings and federal regulatory policies.
“The health of our children and families must come first,” said Rayfield. “I strongly encourage the EPA to align its actions with the latest scientific findings and take steps to eliminate this pesticide from our food system altogether.”
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Reflecting a growing public desire for safer agricultural methods, the action by this group emphasizes a growing trend of state-led activities aiming at enforcing stricter environmental protections and public health requirements. The result of this request to the EPA could establish a standard for next policies on pesticide use in the United States, therefore influencing the environment and potentially the food supply to be safer for all.
