TAKE ACTION: Keep this toxic pesticide out of our food

 

 

With a new administration in office, it’s time to get louder. Tell the EPA to finish the job quickly and protect us from chlorpyrifos. TAKE ACTION

 

The Environmental Protection Agency has taken a step forward — but it’s not enough.

They proposed a partial food ban on chlorpyrifos, a neurotoxic pesticide linked to learning disabilities and behavioral disorders in children who experienced exposure in utero. But the EPA’s proposal would allow chlorpyrifos to be used on 11 crops, including apples, citrus, and cherries.

In 2021, the EPA was ordered by the courts to end food uses of chlorpyrifos unless it could find the pesticide safe for children. The court indicated that it would be difficult for the EPA to find chlorpyrifos safe because of the harm it can cause to a fetus at very low exposures during pregnancy. This ruling led to the chlorpyrifos food ban, which kept this pesticide out of our food for two full growing seasons.

Agri-business groups and a pesticide company then appealed the 2021 ban and obtained a court ruling in their favor. The court directed the EPA to consider whether it could retain 11 uses that a faulty 2020 health risk assessment purported to find safe.

Many of you joined us in submitting comments highlighting the serious flaws in the 2020 risk assessment, which failed to protect against neurodevelopmental harm to children. The EPA has never addressed those comments and yet it is using this flawed risk assessment to justify continuing to expose children, farmworkers, and communities to chlorpyrifos. It plans to address the flaws in 2026, but that is too late for the people who will be harmed in the meantime.

This delay is unacceptable.

For decades, Earthjustice has fought to remove chlorpyrifos from our food system, securing a nationwide ban on all food and feed uses in 2021. This progress wouldn’t have been possible without your collective power, advocating for a healthy environment. The EPA’s proposal to adopt only a partial ban doesn’t go far enough.

Continued use of chlorpyrifos will endanger public health and the well-being of another generation of children. Its use in agricultural fields exposes nearby communities to pesticide drift, putting schools and homes near the fields at risk.

The EPA has a responsibility to protect us — as it did when it banned chlorpyrifos from our food in 2021. Now, we must insist that the EPA follow the science and the law and reinstate a full ban on chlorpyrifos. The stakes are too high for half-measures, and the science is clear: this chemical has no place in our food system.

Tell the EPA to finish the job and ban all remaining uses of chlorpyrifos without delay.

Every comment brings us closer to a safer, healthier future.

TAKE ACTION

 

		. Sincerely, Patti Goldman Senior Attorney, Northwest Office

DONATE NOW   Earthjustice, 50 California Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94111 Photo Credits: Children often experience greater exposure to chlorpyrifos because they drink more water and juice for their weight, relative to adults, and frequently put their hands in their mouths. (Annette Dubois / CC BY 2.0) © 2025

Earthjustice, 50 California Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94111

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Photo Credits: Children often experience greater exposure to chlorpyrifos because they drink more water and juice for their weight, relative to adults, and frequently put their hands in their mouths. (Annette Dubois / CC BY 2.0)

© 2025

Sign The Petition: Ban this dangerous brain-damaging bee-killing pesticide now

 

This pesticide should have stayed ILLEGAL. Chlorpyrifos is among the worst of the worst. The chemical has been linked to SERIOUS BRAIN DAMAGE when infants in utero and children are exposed -- including risks of reduced IQ, memory loss, and attention deficit disorders.  Chlorpyrifos is not only harmful for human health, but it also DEADLY to bees and other pollinators. Chlorpyrifos can poison bees 24 hours after it’s sprayed, impairing their memory and learning. If wild bees are totally wiped out, our ecosystems and food supply could crumble. We already know that pollinators are responsible for 1 in 3 bites of food we eat!    Last year, a federal court ruled to REVERSE the EPA’s ban on chlorpyrifos -- meaning that food produced with this toxic chemical might end up in your next meal!   Let’s make this toxic pesticide illegal again. With your help today, we can urge the EPA to reinstate the ban on chlorpyrifos and protect human health and vulnerable pollinators. TAKE ACTION NOW: Tell the EPA to reinstate its BAN ON CHLORPYRIFOS immediately! >> SIGN THE PETITION Chlorpyrifos is one of the most dangerous pesticides on the market. But for decades before its initial ban, the EPA allowed it to continue to be used, despite the harm it causes to children’s developing brains. People who are regularly exposed to toxic pesticides -- farmworkers and their families -- have an increased risk of severe neurological conditions.  The EPA knows it’s dangerous but allowed it to be sprayed on crops like almonds, grapes, and soybeans. So much of the yummy, nutritious foods we eat could be CONTAMINATED by this highly toxic chemical.  The evidence is clear: Chlorpyrifos only benefits the pesticide corporations that make it. The risk of allowing its use is far too great. That’s why it’s so important for people like YOU to take action. The EPA needs to hear from folks who want to save bees in their backyards and beyond. It needs to hear how pesticide use harms you and your community to counter Big Pesticide’s narrative. Can we count on you to push the EPA to ban chlorpyrifos? SIGN THE PETITION Thanks for fighting toxic pesticides,   Friends of the Earth  Contact Us: Friends of the Earth U.S. Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA PO Box 7010 Merrifield, VA 22116-7010 1-877-843-8687 Contact us Learn more: www.foe.org/news www.foe.org/about-us www.foeaction.org Connect:

Your Signature Is Needed: Highly toxic chlorpyrifos pesticide could kill bees and harm children

 

URGENT WARNING: The highly toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos is no longer banned, and we’re facing a critical threat to our health and our environment. Take action now! >>  Just when we thought progress was being made on harmful pesticides, a federal court recently overturned a crucial ban on chlorpyrifos. This toxic chemical poses serious risks to both people and pollinators, with severe consequences for children's developing brains and devastating effects on bee populations.  With your help, we fought hard to successfully ban chlorpyrifos in 2021 for good reasons. Its use has been linked to reduced IQ, memory loss, and attention deficit disorders in infants and children — and with bees and other pollinators responsible for 1 in 3 bites of food we eat, the threat to our food system is undeniable since chlorpyrifos is fatal to bees.   Now that the ban on this highly toxic pesticide has been lifted, the consequences for our ecosystems could be catastrophic.   But there's still hope. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the power to reinstate the ban on chlorpyrifos — but we need your voice today to make it happen. Can we count on you to join us in demanding immediate action to protect our children, our bees, and our planet from the dangers of chlorpyrifos? Add your name now! >>  SIGN THE PETITION With the ban overturned, chlorpyrifos could be used in food production again, and maybe even end up on your plate! And without bees pollinating 75% of the world’s most nutritious crops, we could have less food to put on our plates in the first place!  We’ve already seen the power of grassroots activism when we pushed to ban chlorpyrifos the first time around — and right now, we need our members to step up to the plate with us again. Every activist signature counts toward sending a powerful message to the EPA to prioritize our health, our pollinators, and our planet above pesticide industry profits.   Together, let's ensure a future where toxic pesticides have no place in our food system and where bees and humans can thrive together without fear of harm from dangerous chemicals like chlorpyrifos.  Time is of the essence. We’re aiming to get 3,207 more signatures on our petition by 11:59 P.M. tonight to show the EPA that we have strong grassroots support to stop this potent pesticide from threatening us all. Please add your name now to tell the EPA to reinstate the BAN on toxic chlorpyrifos immediately! >>  SIGN THE PETITION Thanks for making an impact with your action today,  Friends of the Earth  Contact Us: Friends of the Earth U.S. Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA PO Box 7010 Merrifield, VA 22116-7010 1-877-843-8687 Contact us Learn more: www.foe.org/news www.foe.org/about-us www.foeaction.org Connect:

Your Signature is Needed: This dangerous pesticide could put you and your family at risk

 

THIS IS URGENT: A crucial ban on a brain-damaging, bee-killing pesticide has been REVERSED. Take action now >> This HIGHLY-TOXIC pesticide is called chlorpyrifos, and it was banned by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2021. With help from Friends of the Earth members like you, we were able to get chlorpyrifos banned for agriculture use. Unfortunately,  a federal court just overturned the ban and opened the doors for this toxic pesticide to be used in food production once again – food that you and your family might end up eating. The EPA knows it’s dangerous – after crops are treated, the chemicals don’t just vanish. Chlorpyrifos can poison bees 24 hours after it’s sprayed, impairing their memory and learning. And the residue of pesticides can be found in our air, water, and soil. What’s more, this pesticide harms children’s developing brains. When infants in utero and children are exposed, they face risks of reduced IQ, memory loss, and attention deficit disorders. The EPA must do its part to protect bees, people, and the planet from toxic chemicals sold by Big Pesticide companies. Please, we need your help to get this ban reinstated. Will you help by signing our petition before 11:59pm TONIGHT? SIGN THE PETITION Chlorpyrifos is in a class of chemicals known as organophosphates, which includes sarin nerve gas! These organophosphates were originally developed by the Nazis during World War II – now they’ve been repurposed for agricultural use. The results have been devastating. Back in 2015, EPA scientists said that there are virtually no safe uses of chlorpyrifos. We have clear evidence that it is a leading cause of farmworker poisonings. In one incident, chlorpyrifos was one of the toxic pesticides that led 50 farmworkers to become sick. Workers on neighboring properties also ended up in the hospital over the following days. The evidence is clear: Toxic pesticides benefit the Big Pesticide companies who make them at the expense of our health and environment. These companies have millions in profits at stake – and they’re working to prevent the EPA from taking action. That’s why it’s so important for people like you to take action. The EPA needs to hear from folks who want to save bees in their backyards and beyond. It needs to hear from you to counter Big Pesticide’s lies. Can I count on you to push the EPA to ban toxic pesticides? Sign the petition now>> SIGN THE PETITION Standing with you,  Kendra Klein Deputy Director of Science,  Friends of the Earth Contact Us: Friends of the Earth U.S. Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA 1-877-843-8687 Contact us Learn more: www.foe.org/news www.foe.org/about-us www.foeaction.org Connect:

Warning: Highly toxic pesticide no longer banned EPA: BAN CHLORPYRIFOS!

 

POV: You’re a BUZZING BEE -- flitting between petals, slurping tasty nectar, and bringing flowers and crops to life for your human and animal friends to enjoy.   But you land on one flower and drink POISON along with the nectar. Your favorite flower patch is no longer safe!  The pesticide chlorpyrifos is highly toxic to bees! Even low levels of exposure hurt honeybees’ memory and learning. Friends of the Earth members like you helped us ban this toxic chemical – but a recent court ruling overturned the ban! Tell the EPA to help SAVE BEES and re-instate the ban on the highly-toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos!  SIGN THE PETITION People are at risk, too. Chlorpyrifos is especially dangerous for children. Exposure to this chemical in utero has been linked to reduced IQ, memory loss, and attention deficit disorders!  Now that chlorpyrifos is no longer banned, food produced with this toxic chemical might end up on your family dinner plates! You can help us make sure that doesn’t happen! Please, help us protect children and pollinators from dangerous chlorpyrifos pesticides! If just 1 of every 7 people reading this email takes action, we can hit our signature goal!  SIGN THE PETITION Standing with you,  Kendra Klein  Deputy Director of Science,  Friends of the Earth  Contact Us: Friends of the Earth U.S. Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA 1-877-843-8687 Contact us Learn more: www.foe.org/news www.foe.org/about-us www.foeaction.org Connect:    ©  2021, Friends of the Earth. All Rights Reserved.