Court backs EPA on chlorpyrifos

A federal appeals court has let stand the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s controversial decision to allow continued use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos, which is linked to neurotoxic effects. The July 18 decision is a win for the Trump Administration, which has put off finalizing an Obama EPA proposal to ban chlorpyrifos on food crops. In 2016, EPA said that combined exposure to chlorpyrifos through food and drinking water in the U.S. is expected to exceed the agency’s safety standard. At the time, EPA cited concerns about neurotoxicity from exposure to the organophosphate insecticide. The agency now claims “the science addressing neurodevelopmental effects remains unresolved.” EPA says it will continue evaluating the risks of chlorpyrifos until 2022. In the case, environmental groups asserted that EPA’s March denial of their petition to ban the pesticide broke federal law. The agency has made “no new safety findings” and no “final determination as to