Today’s Solutions: May 12, 2025

Even if you’ve never heard of chlorpyrifos, you’ve probably come in contact with it on your food. This common pesticide has been on the market since 1965 and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 5.1 million pounds of the chemical have been used on American crops like vegetables, corn, soybeans, cotton, and fruit trees. This is about to change however as the EPA has officially banned the use of chlorpyrifos after years of advocacy from environmental and health groups.

Why is chlorpyrifos being banned?

Like many other pesticides, chlorpyrifos works by blocking an enzyme called acetylcholinesterase. This in turn causes insects to die. Unfortunately, it is also toxic to humans. It was banned in indoor pest control use in 1996, but due to extensive previous use and use in agriculture, 75 percent of people in the US have trace amounts of chlorpyrifos in their bodies.

Multiple studies have linked the chemical to neurodevelopmental delays, especially in children. Exposures are particularly dangerous for farmers and agricultural workers who have higher levels of exposure.

Officially banned

California and the European Union banned chlorpyrifos in 2020, but lobbying from chemical companies slowed a federal ban in the US. Extensive awareness campaigns and activism from the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Pesticide Action Network have finally pushed the EPA to enact a complete ban on chlorpyrifos on August 18, 2021. The agency says the ban will go into effect in six months.

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

Diabetes deaths decline post-pandemic, marking hopeful progress in U.S. healt...

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM After a sharp rise during the COVID-19 pandemic, diabetes-related deaths in the United States are beginning to fall ...

Read More

Meet the man who took 200 snake bites so science could strike back

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Tim Friede has been bitten by venomous snakes around 200 times and lives to tell the tale. No, ...

Read More

Grow these plants around your home as natural mosquitos repellents

While there are countless positives that come with the warmer seasons, there’s one huge downside.  Yep, mosquitos! These pesky insects can leave us itching ...

Read More

This crop actually benefits from being shaded by solar panels

Solar panels often take up a lot of real estate that is also optimal for growing crops (flat land with access to lots of ...

Read More