If you’ve ever eaten an apple, broccoli, corn 
or any number of the most common fruits and vegetables
grown in the United States, 
you've definitely been exposed to the toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos.
Chlorpyrifos belongs to the same family of chemicals as sarin gas.
Known as "organophosphates," these chemicals
were first developed by the Nazis for warfare in WWII.
After the war, companies like DOW got a hold of the chemicals 
and started spraying them on crops to kill insects.
The problem is, years of scientific studies
have linked Prenatal and early life exposure to chlorpyrifos 
with neurodevelopmental conditions, lower IQ, 
attention deficit disorders, and lower birth weight in children.
Household use of the pesticide was banned almost 20 years ago
due to the risks it presents children,
but it was left on the market for agriculture.
Despite the fact the EPA says that it’s unsafe to work with
even if farmworkers wear the most protective equipment available.
For years, Earthjustice and our partners fought to convince the government
of the dangers of Chlorpyrifos,
In 2016 the EPA concluded
that it had no choice but to ban the pesticide
based on its own scientific findings.
But when Trump got elected,
DOW, the biggest producer of chlorpyrifos in the US,
gave $1 million to fund his inauguration.
Almost immediately, Trump’s administration reversed the proposed ban.
Earthjustice sued the government
and a federal court sided with us
and ordered the EPA to ban chlorpyrifos based on its own science.
Now Trump’s EPA is now stalling to implement the ban,
despite the lives it’s putting at risk in the process.
At this point, the evidence is indisputable 
and every day we go without a ban,
children and farmworkers are needlessly
eating, drinking and breathing this horrific pesticide.
That’s why, Earthjustice and our partners will continue fighting:
to force the government to act
and make sure that chlorpyrifos is banned for good,
for the wellbeing of families and farmworkers.
