Trump’s agenda: Poison in our food supply?

We'd never knowingly expose our children to a powerful chemical linked to reduced IQ, developmental delay, and increased risk of learning disabilities.

But Donald Trump's EPA would.

Led by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt — an ally of the billion-dollar chemical industry — the agency has abruptly reversed course on a proposed ban of the toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos.

This substance, made by Dow Chemical, belongs to the same class of chemicals that were developed as nerve agents in Nazi Germany.

NRDC is fighting in federal court to compel EPA to act now to ban this dangerous pesticide. We can't stay silent while our families and communities are exposed to poisonous chemicals.

That's why I recorded a short, powerful video with our friends at NowThis to expose the dangers of Dow's nerve gas pesticide.

I hope you'll watch the video now — then tell Trump's EPA to ban the nerve gas pesticide chlorpyrifos immediately!

The destructive qualities of chlorpyrifos (klor-PEER-a-foss) also make it great for killing insects, which is why industrial farmers spray millions of pounds of it every year on crops like apples, oranges, and broccoli.

Scientific research shows the devastating harm it can have on human health, especially to children: lower IQs, developmental delays, and serious neurological damage. Later in life, studies have found links to lung cancer and Parkinson's.

EPA scientists found the risks of chlorpyrifos to children to be so great that the agency recommended banning the pesticide from use on food last year. But then Trump and Pruitt immediately shot down the ban when they took office, siding with companies like Dow over you, me, and our families.

And Pruitt has stocked his EPA with chemical industry insiders, who are hard at work using their industry connections to make sure the ban never sees the light of day.

NRDC is fighting back hard in court, facing off against the EPA to compel the agency to follow through with a ban on this toxic pesticide. We're also prevailing on California Governor Jerry Brown to ban chlorpyrifos — a million pounds of which are used in California alone every year — on crops statewide.

We need your help to bolster our case by mobilizing a nationwide public outcry that will demonstrate to the Trump administration that when the safety of our children is concerned, we will not back down.

Please, watch my NowThis video now — and then help get this dangerous chemical out of our food and away from our children: Tell the Trump administration to ban the toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos today!

-Rhea Suh, President NRDC

Sign the petition: Tell your members of Congress to ban the toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos!

Our fruits and vegetables are being sprayed with a dangerous neurotoxin called chlorpyrifos, and despite mounting scientific evidence and the EPA's own recommendation, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt decided to let the pesticide stay legal.

Fortunately, two bills have been introduced into Congress that ban this dangerous chemical.

Tell your members of Congress to ban the toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos!

Chlorpyrifos is in the same chemical category as sarin nerve gas and has been linked to lower IQs and memory problems in children of women who were exposed while pregnant.

Horrifyingly, six to ten million pounds of chlorpyrifos is sprayed on crops like apples, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, cranberries, onions, peaches, strawberries, soybeans, and walnuts each year.1

At the end of 2016, under mounting pressure from the public including environmental, workers rights, and children's rights organizations, EPA staff completed a review of large amounts of scientific evidence and concluded that there was no safe use for chlorpyrifos, even in small quantities, and that the pesticide should be banned.

However, in March 2017, Scott Pruitt ignored his own agency's findings and the mountains of scientific evidence against chlorpyrifos, and decided that the pesticide would remain in use for years to come.2

In the past few weeks several Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests have revealed and verified Scott Pruitt's close ties to the polluting and chemical industries. Additionally, a couple months ago through a FOIA The New York times discovered that multiple political appointees pressured career staff to reject the petition to ban chlorpyrifos.3 

You don't even need to read between the lines to see that Scott Pruitt's decision let chlorpyrifos stay legal likely had little to do with protecting the environment, our families, or farmers.

Since Scott Pruitt won't, we need our members of Congress to protect our children, communities, farmers, and farmworkers!

Tell your members of Congress to stand up for our health and safety by banning chlorpyrifos!

This is not just a fight for safe food, it's a fight to show Administrator Scott Pruitt that he can't ignore science, and neglect the health and safety of Americans.

- SierraRise

Sources:
1. "Chlorpyrifos: The toxic pesticide now harming our children and environment." Earth Justice. ���
2. Dol��ak, N. and Prakash, A. (12 April 2017). "Why did Scott Pruitt refuse to ban a chemical that the EPA itself said is dangerous?" Washington Post���
3. Lipton, E. and Rabin, R. (18 August 2017). "E.P.A. Promised 'a New Day' for the Agriculture Industry, Documents Reveal." New York Times.