Scott Pruitt just put corporate interests over kids' health
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- Published on Thursday, 30 March 2017 12:30
- Written by editor
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With your support, we're standing up for children’s healthDear Paov,
Kids across the country are being exposed to a pesticide known to damage their brains. And yesterday, Scott Pruitt — administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) — decided he's going to keep letting it happen.
In his first decision as administrator, Mr. Pruitt put the interests of pesticide corporations above children's health. He also ignored an overwhelming body of evidence and the findings of his own agency's scientists.
For decades, scientists have been highlighting the dangers of chlorpyrifos to human health — particularly for kids. Even extremely low levels of exposure have been linked to falling IQs, developmental delays, increased risk of autism and more.
Citing harms to children's health, chlorpyrifos was banned for home use 17 years ago — while rural kids still faced exposure from use in agriculture. EPA's own recent analysis found that all children are taking in unsafe levels of this brain-harming chemical in food.
We need to get chlorpyrifos off our farms and out of our food supply, now.
Last fall, EPA signaled that it would finally follow the science to ban chlorpyrifos on food crops once and for all. But Scott Pruitt's decision yesterday will keep this chemical in rotation, in direct opposition to the recommendations of his agency's own scientists.
Along with our partners, PAN will be taking legal action to ensure Pruitt's EPA reverses yesterday's outrageous decision on chlorpyrifos. And we'll be turning up the public pressure, ensuring the agency listens to concerned health professionals, farmers, farmworker advocates and PAN supporters like you.
It's long past time to get chlorpyrifos off the market. Together, let’s make sure it finally happens.
Thank you for being part of the PAN community!
With gratitude,
Judy Hatcher, Executive Director
Pesticide Action Network
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