EPA drops a bombshell about killing bugs… and brains

60 days.

That’s how long the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals in Seattle has given the EPA to clean up its act and get serious about protecting Americans and their kids against one of the deadliest pesticides still in use.

And chlorpyrifos, the chemical at issue, isn’t just your everyday toxic bug killer. It’s known to cause serious and permanent damage to the brain – especially where kids are concerned.

Not too long ago, the EPA was supposedly going to do away with it once and for all. But like a lot of the agency’s promises, that ban – the one designed to prevent children from being exposed to this neurotoxin — somehow vanished into thin air.

Now, the EPA is either going to have to comply with this ruling or take its case – proving that it’s somehow fine to put our kids in serious jeopardy — to the Supreme Court.

Whatever happens, you don’t have to wait another day to start banning chlorpyrifos from your family’s diet.

The ban that wasn’t

Having gone from a nerve gas agent used during WWII to a best-selling pesticide made by Dow Chemical, chlorpyrifos is now so widely applied in the U.S. that, as farming experts say, “everyone uses it.”

And that must be true, as it’s estimated that up to 10 million pounds of this toxic substance is sprayed on crops across the U.S. every year.

But all that was supposed to have changed two years ago.

That’s when a “groundbreaking” report revealed in no uncertain terms that this chemical can cause “attention, memory, and motor problems” in kids – even in extremely low amounts. It’s also been linked to learning disabilities, lower IQs, ADHD, and autism.

Shockingly, this report came from none other than the EPA itself — which also noted that the amount contained in certain foods is a whopping 14,000 percent above the level the agency previously had concluded was safe.

On top of their own bombshell admissions, the feds have also been sitting on a petition sent in over a decade ago by two environmental groups asking that chlorpyrifos be banned from all food applications.

Banning this toxin is not only logical, but it’s the only ethical thing for this agency to do. For the EPA to continue sitting on its hands where chlorpyrifos is concerned is like admitting that protecting corporate interests – such as Dow’s – is far more important than ensuring the health of future generations.

It’s simply outrageous!

As I told you, the EPA has two months to start the process of eliminating this poison. Officials were able to forbid its use for pest control in homes and schools over 15 years ago, so they can get off their backsides and start doing whatever is necessary to make this farm-use ban happen now.

But you know how legal matters can go. Our tax dollars will likely be spent for months – even years – of delays and boondoggles.

That’s why you need to start your own personal chlorpyrifos ban! And you can begin by taking these three steps:

1. Only buy organic apples and broccoli, since conventional versions are the two biggest food uses of this poison. Tests done on apples have found that residue remains even when the fruit is washed and peeled! Luckily, organically grown varieties are easy to find and don’t cost a fortune. Two other foods that you should always buy from the organic section are bell peppers and kale, since non-organic versions have been found to contain high chlorpyrifos residue.
2. Go for organic peanut and almond butters, since nuts are also high chlorpyrifos-use crops. These nut butters are also very easy to find these days, as are organic nuts themselves.
3. Watch your water quality. If you live in a rural area near any farms and have well water, it’s vital to have your water professionally tested for a variety of agricultural chemicals. And if it tests positive, install a filtration system or use bottled water for drinking and cooking.

In addition, research has found that babies are most susceptible to the damage caused by chlorpyrifos (as well as many other pesticides and herbicides) in the womb. That means that the safest thing a woman can do for her baby while pregnant… or while trying to start a family… is go totally organic.

“Appeals court orders EPA to ban sales of widely-used farm pesticide chlorpyrifos” Associated Press, August 10, 2018, CBS, cbsnews.com