Last Updated on May 17, 2021 by Colleen
Chlorpyrifos is one of the most toxic agricultural chemicals. But the last administration stopped a move to ban its use. Now a U.S. court steps in to give the EPA a directive, and a very short timeframe to act.
How Toxic is Chlorpyrifos and Who is at Risk?
Dow Chemical patented chlorpyrifos as a pesticide in 1966. It is an organophosphate chemical. Farmers, groundskeepers, and exterminators have used it for 65 years. (To go straight to what you can do to protect yourself and influence the EPA’s decision, scroll down to “How Can You Protect Your Loved Ones from Toxic Chemicals?”)
It kills insects by inhibiting the essential enzyme activity that enables the messages that travel through nerve cells. Chlorpyrifos drifts through the air and poisons the lungs of people exposed to it. It also spreads its poison to people by clinging to fruits and vegetables and grass.
Tragically, it has proven to cause developmental damage even with a small exposure in fetuses and small children. Acute exposure can cause neuromuscular symptoms, seizures, lung failure, paralysis, and death. It is also toxic to bees and crustaceans.
How Do You Get Exposed to Chlorpyrifos?
Despite this toxicity, farmers, exterminators, and grounds keepers in the U.S. have used chlorpyrifos to control pests on
- corn
- soybeans
- fruit and nut trees
- Brussel sprouts
- cranberries
- broccoli and cauliflower
- golf courses
- turf
- termite control
- roach and ant traps
What Other Countries Have Banned It?
Many countries banned this toxin. And yet, the U.S. has continued using it to the present day. Here is the timeline.
- Singapore in 2009
- South Africa in 2010
- Denmark 2012
- European Union 2020
Why Hasn’t the U.S. Banned Chlorpyrifos?
Dow Chemical has lobbied hard for many years to keep chlorpyrifos on the market in the United States. The company asserts it is safe for use. And yet, the EPA has not been able to find a safe threshold of exposure. In fact, Dow paid a $2 million fine to the State of New York for claiming its product was safe. Here’s a quick timeline.
- 1989 OSHA set a maximum exposure level but it was later reversed by the U.S. Court of Appeals.
- 2000 The industry reached an agreement with the EPA to voluntarily restrict the use of chlorpyrifos near children.
- 2003 Dow Chemical paid a fine to NY State for claiming the chemical was safe.
- 2007 The Pesticide Action Network and Natural Resource Defense Council appealed to the EPA to ban chlorpyrifos.
- 2015 A U.S. Court of Appeals told the EPA to ban chlorpyrifo, stating the EPA had failed to show the chemical met legal safety requirements.
- 2016 The EPA decided to ban the chemical despite Dow Chemical’s persistent claims that it is safe and critical to growers.
- 2017 The Trump Administration’s Sec. of Agriculture Scott Pruit revoked the EPA ban. Pruitt claimed he had not met with Dow Chemical executives prior to revoking the ban. But it was later revealed he had met with them dozens of times and specifically told them he would revoke the ban.
- 2017 California adds chlorpyrifos to its Prop 65 list of toxic chemicals and set minimum exposure levels at .025PPB. The American Academy of Pediatrics protests the Administrations lack of movement on the ban, stating the chemical’s well-established danger to children.
- 2018 The U.S. Court of Appeals told the EPA to ban chlorpyrifos within 60 days but the ruling was appealed by the Trump Administration.
- 2020 California banned chlorpyrifos. Thailand bans the use of chlorpyrifos and paraquat and moves to ban imported foods grown by farmers using these chemcals. The US and Brazil appeal to the WTA to force Thailand to reverse its ban. it completely within 60 days.
Who’s to Blame for the Poisoning of America?
The history of chlorpyrifos is a lesson in the danger to people and our planet of taking on one toxic chemical at a time. Dow Chemical introduced chlorpyrifos to the market over 55 years ago. It’s been poisoning fetuses, children, and adults ever since. As far back as 1989 the U.S. government showed public concern over the chemical as seen in the OSHA exposure limits. And twenty years ago the industry publicly admitted it was toxic to children by agreeing to usage restrictions.
Yet, lawsuit after lawsuit, research evidence be damned, court orders disregarded, the EPA failed to protect the people and country it is chartered to protect. And, yes, the delay of the ban over the last five years is due to direct and malicious actions of the Trump Administration. But a handful of other Administrations — Republican and Democrat — could have banned this poison years ago and did not.
What Can We Learn about Glyphosate from the Chlorpyrifos Story?
The lesson is clear. We cannot achieve a cleaner world fighting one chemical at a time. As much as we know some chemicals like glyphosate and chlorpyrifos are perhaps more toxic or pervasive than some others, we cannot cherry pick the handful of worst offenders and try to pick them off one by one. There simply isn’t enough time (unless you think a standard of 50 or more years from introduction to ban to be your measure of success). We must get to the core of the problem.
- Companies must prove chemicals are safe before they are allowed to introduce them on the market.
- Consumers should have a right to know if there is toxic residue on their food.
- Because of their position between farms and consumers, brands, suppliers, and distributors should be the intermediary that requires testing from the farms. They also should test their final product for toxic residue and provide complete transparency to consumers. Finally, that transparency to consumers has to be provided in an actionable format — at a time when they are making purchasing or eating decisions. Consumers should not have to contact a customer service person to request the information.
How Can You Protect Your Loved Ones from Toxic Chemicals?
- Buy organic whenever possible but especially produce that you eat that cannot be peeled.
- Soak your produce in a solution of water with a bit of apple cider vinegar or baking soda or both.
- Buy from companies you trust. Avoid cheap food. Cheap can mean the farmer used a lot of chemicals to increase their yield so they can keep prices low.
- Ask brands you love to test their food and make the results publicly available.
- Contact the EPA and ask them to ban chlorpyrifos and to require chemical companies to prove their products are safe before they can be used. Consider tweeting them at https://twitter.com/epa.
Does ZEGO Test for Chlorpyrifos?
Yes! We do and have since we introduced our purity testing back in 2018. You can see our results on our pesticide panels for each product on our Food Safety tab on our website, or by scanning the QR code on any of our packages. This is exactly the type of testing and transparency all brands should commit to. Why? Because if consumers aren’t informed about the prevalence of toxic residue in our agriculture system and on their food, they won’t have the information and inspiration to demand better. And, better is what we have to strive for every day.
Some of the information in this blog came from Wikipedia, which has extensive information on the history and toxicity of this chemical.
Colleen Kavanagh is the founder and CEO of ZEGO, a company that seeks to inspire changes in the food system so it better nourishes all people and our planet. She spent 20 years working to better nourish low-income children through improved public policies and programs, working for Congressman George Miller in Washington, DC and various anti-hunger nonprofits. She founded the nonprofit www.abettercourse.org. In 2013, she decided the only way to better nourish the most vulnerable is to leverage consumer demand through the marketplace to regenerating the food system and protect the most vulnerable. And that, lead to her starting ZEGO.
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Today is International Celiac Disease Awareness Day! It`s a day within Celiac Disease Awareness Month where we can all share facts with others, bust some myths, and get excited about the future of celiac disease research! We are so proud to serve the #celiacdisease community by offering purity protocol celiac disease safe oats. From our founder to your plate, we`re happy to be a part of this #glutenfree community.
May 16
It`s important that food manufacturers use good manufacturing processes and allergy protocols to keep your food safe! Better yet, look for facilities that are free from your allergen. ZEGO is made in a facility that is free from the top 14 allergens and corn. We know that even a crumb counts!
#FoodAllergy #FoodAllergyAwareness #FoodAllergyAwarenessWeek
May 14
Do you know the top 9 foods most likely to cause a food allergic reaction? ๐ฌ
#FoodAllergy #FoodAllergyAwareness #FoodAllergyAwarenessWeek
May 12
Different vibes, same great product.
Double Protein Organic Oats, online or at a store near you.
May 8
Did you know that our founder Colleen was diagnosed with #celiacdisease when she was a teen? Because of her experience with her own malnutrition, she was inspired to make sure everyone has the right to safe, healthy, nutritious food.
May 7
Did you know how common food allergies are?
Here are some FACTS from FAACT!
**Food allergies affect as many as 32 million Americans, including 26 million adults and 5.6 million children.
**Approximately 7.6% of children and 10.8% of adults here in the US have food allergies.
**Food allergies are more prevalent in children than in adults, but many affected children can "outgrow" food allergies with age.
**According to the CDC, the prevalence of food allergies in children increased by 50% between 1997 and 2011.
**Among children under 18, it is common enough that there are about 2 students with food allergies in every classroom!
#FoodAllergyAwareness #FoodAllergyAwarenessMonth
May 4
Did you know that May is both Celiac Disease Awareness Month and Food Allergy Awareness Month? ZEGO has always put the food allergy and celiac community first by providing a superior, delicious, nutritious line of products that are safe for people avoiding top allergens and gluten.
We spend every May spreading awareness for these conditions, sharing facts over fear.
We can`t wait to share more with you, so follow along on our social accounts for the month of May!
May 1
Weโve learned so much about FIBER this month, and we hope you have too! To round-up our month dedicated to fiber, weโre throwing a fiber-packed giveaway! Enter to win a case of our DOUBLE PROTEIN ORGANIC OATMEAL. Each serving of these high-quality raw gluten-free organic oats contains 5 grams of dietary fiber!
TO ENTER:
1. Like this post
2. Make sure youโre following us here on Instagram
3. Comment with your favorite way to eat oats
US residents only, 18+, not associated with Instagram. We will only reach out via this account if you are the winner.
Apr 30
On April 29โ30, 300+ farmers, investors, researchers, retailers, and supply chain leaders will convene at Brooklynโs Newlab for two days of panels, workshops, and community building around the future of regenerative food systems at Regenerative NYC, by Why Regenerative.
We`re a proud sponsor of Why Regenerative and have our Regenerative Organic Oatmeal on their online Regenerative Market!
At Regenerative NYC, the sessions span everything from soil carbon verification and agroforestry market-building to regenerative dairy transitions and farmland investing โ with speakers from Whole Foods, Thrive Market, Bel Brands, ROA, Textile Exchange, Eileen Fisher, Fresh Direct, Builders Vision, the Rockefeller Foundation, Niman Ranch, Mad Ag, and more.
Don`t miss breakfast, you`ll have a chance to try our ZEGO oats! We`re catering the breakfast each morning.
Apr 29
Is there such thing as too much fiber?
While we recently highlighted how great fiber is, and how most adults in the US need to be eating more of it – can there be too much of a good thing?
YES! Especially when you add too much fiber to your diet too quickly. This can cause gas, bloating, and and other GI side effects, like diarrhea. And if you add too much fiber with not enough water, there`s even a risk of intestinal blockages.
That`s why we say start low and go slow to introduce more fiber into your diet. Have a question about fiber? Ask your dietitian!
Source: Time Magazine, "What fibermaxxing gets wrong about fiber."
Apr 28
โจ Add, Don`t Restrict: How to Boost Fiber โจ
Start your day off with a bowl of oatmeal, and boost the fiber by adding fresh fruit and seeds. Add some carrots to your mid-day snack. Add in some kale in your next sautรฉ. Think about all the places you can ADD FIBER, not subtract it, from your existing meal plans.
Apr 27
Celebrate #EarthDay this week at Lassen`s locations across the Los Angeles area, Santa Barbara, and Bakersfield! We`ll be on promotion, and you`ll find us handing out oatmeal sample packets at select locations this week!
Find a Lassen`s near you!
๐ Wilshire La Brea
๐ Echo Park
๐ Los Feliz
๐ Simi Valley
๐ Lancaster
๐ Oxnard
๐ Ventura
๐ Santa Barbara
๐ Santa Maria
๐ San Luis Obispo
๐ Bakersfield
Apr 20
Today is #WorldIBSDay and we`re celebrating with a big bowl of gluten-free organic ZEGO oats. Oats contain fiber, which keeps the digestive tract in check. Dietary fiber helps things run smoothly…all the way through! If you have iBS, make sure you`re working with a great dietitian who can point you in the right direction when it comes to an IBS-friendly diet that can include oats!
Apr 19
You`ve heard that fiber is important, and that most Americans aren`t getting enough of it in their diet. But how can you really tell if you`re getting enough fiber? How can you read a nutrition facts panel to tell if you`re eating enough?
According to the FDA, the daily value of dietary fiber is 28 grams per day. Keep in mind that this is based on a 2,000 calorie diet and doesn`t take into account your calorie needs – so it might be slightly higher or lower.
A nutrition facts panel on any packaged product, like our oatmeal, will show you how many grams of fiber are in each serving and compare that agains the daily recommended value. For our oatmeal, each serving contains about 5 grams of dietary fiber, or about 14% of your daily recommended dose of fiber.
A bowl of our oatmeal is a great way to start your day with fiber and protein. Look for other whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans and nuts (depending on your dietary restrictions) to fill the rest of your fiber needs!
Learn how to read a nutrition facts panel and learn more about fiber from the FDA!
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/interactivenutritionfactslabel/dietary-fiber.cfm
Apr 17
Itโs National Banana Day!
Thereโs nothing like the comforting aroma of banana muffins baking in your kitchen. These Gluten-Free Banana Oat Muffins are not just a tasty treatโtheyโre packed with fiber, protein, and essential nutrients to fuel your day.
Find this recipe and more on our website!
#NationalBananaDay #GlutenFreeRecipe #organicoats
Apr 15
Are we truly feeding our soil, or just feeding our plants? Learn more from the frontlines of farming on this Food Gossip short!
Apr 13
Swap your beige processed breakfast like white toast for some color! Add some muesli or superfood to a bowl of seeds and nuts and freshly cut fruit. Not only is this more appealing to your eyes (and your stomach), but youโll increase your fiber too!
Apr 11
Did you know that April is National Organic Breakfast Month! This theme was started to promote a healthy and sustainable lifestyle and to encourage all of us to start our mornings with wholesome, organic food options. Not only are our ZEGO oats certified organic, but they are purity verified. They`re tested for over 500 pesticide and herbicide residues and heavy metals. You know your oats are the purest they can be for the best way to start your morning!
#OrganicBreakfastMonth #CertifiedOrganic
Apr 7
Happy Easter! We hope your basket is filled with lots of yummy allergy-friendly treats.
If the Easter Bunnyโข๏ธ ๐ฐ left you any extra carrots, you`ve got to try our Oat Carrot healthy cookies. Head to the blog to get the recipe!
Apr 5
What is Fiber?
Did you know that there are TWO types of fiber – soluble vs. insoluble.
Soluble fiber dissolves in water in your digestive tract, forming a gel that slows digestion. It helps to lower your cholesterol, reduces your risk of heart disease, and stabilizes blood sugar.
Insoluble fiber does not dissolve, adding bulk to your stool to help it move through the digestive system.
Many foods contain both, and both are important for your overall health!
Reference: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fiber/art-20043983
Apr 3
