U.S. Sen. Tom UdallU.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday in a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Sen. Tom Udall made the case for why Congress must act to ban the pesticide chlorpyrifos, a dangerous neurotoxin linked to brain damage in children.
Udall said his Protect Children, Farmers & Farmworkers from Nerve Agent Pesticides Act is urgently needed after Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt rejected EPA scientists’ determination that all food applications of the pesticide are unsafe and that the chemical risks harm to children, farmers, and farmworkers. Pruitt, saying the science isn’t settled, put the decision off until 2022. Pruitt’s move came just weeks after meeting with Dow Chemical, the manufacturer of chlorpyrifos and a chlorpyrifos alternative.
In his speech, Udall told the stories of farmers, farmworkers, and pregnant women who became ill when they were exposed to chlorpyrifos, and outlined the dangerous effects the chemical has on children. “In plain English, chlorpyrifos damages children’s brains,” Udall said in his remarks.
“The EPA was created to make thoughtful, science-based decisions on issues that affect public health and the economy. But in his first decision at the EPA, the administrator has shown his hand. He did not respect the science – not even from his own scientific team. And not even when the science is overwhelmingly decisive. If the EPA and this administration won’t act to protect the public – to protect children – then Congress must.”
In addition to Udall the bill, S.1624, is co-sponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). A basic summary is available here.
Last week, Udall held a press conference with Blumenthal and mothers, farmworkers, child development experts, and advocates to unveil the bill.
