Carper, Booker, Duckworth Applaud EPA Ban on Harmful Pesticide

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), founders and co-chairs of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, today issued the following statement on a new rule from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banning most uses of chlorpyrifos, a pesticide used on certain food crops and non-agricultural sites that has been linked to neurological damage and other adverse health impacts.

“We commend EPA for prioritizing the health of children and farmworkers with its rulemaking today. The decision to ban the use of this pesticide on food is based on sound science, which tells us that exposure to chlorpyrifos can permanently damage the developing brains of children. Oftentimes those most impacted by the use of toxic pesticides come from minority and disadvantaged communities. Most Americans agree: something that compromises our children’s health and harms our workers doesn’t belong in our food or economy.”

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