Acephate , which was banned by the European Union more than 20 years ago , belongs to a class of chemicals called organophosphates . U . S . farmers have used these pesticides for decades because they efficiently kill aphids , fire ants and other pests . But what makes organophosphate pesticides good bug killers — their ability to interfere with signals sent between nerve cells — also makes them dangerous to people . Studies have linked acephate to reductions in IQ and verbal comprehension and autism with intellectual disability .
Environmental advocates , who have been pushing the agency to restrict and ban acephate for years , said they were not expecting the agency to make such a bold move .
“ I ’ m surprised and very pleased ,” said Patti Goldman , a senior attorney at Earthjustice , who has been part of a farmworker led group that expressed concerns to EPA officials over the past years about the ongoing use of acephate and other organophosphates .
As much as 12 million pounds of acephate were used on soybeans , Brussels sprouts and other crops in 2019 , according to the most recent estimates from the U . S . Geological Survey . The federal agency estimates that up to 30 % of celery , 35 % of lettuce and 20 % of cauliflower and peppers were grown with acephate .
A draft risk assessment issued in August by the EPA ’ s Office of Pesticide Programs found “ little to no evidence ” that acephate and a chemical created when it breaks down in the body harm the developing brain . The document said there was no justification to keep restrictions on the bug killer that are designed to protect children from developmental harm . Removing that layer of protection would allow ten times more acephate on food than is acceptable under the current limits .
The draft risk assessment ’ s conclusion relied in large part on the results of a new battery of tests that are performed on disembodied cells rather than whole lab animals .
The tests have been in development for years , but the EPA ’ s review of acephate ’ s effects on the developing brain marked one of the first times the agency had recommended changing a legal safety threshold largely based on their results .
Multiple science groups , including panels the EPA created to help guide its work , had discouraged using the nonanimal tests to conclude a chemical is safe . A member of the Children ’ s Health Protection Advisory Committee , one of the panels providing guidance to EPA , described the earlier acephate proposal as “ exactly what we recommended against .”
But even as it proposed a new outcome this week , the EPA did not change its stance on the use of the cell-based tests .
“ Even in this good news proposal , the EPA continues to misuse the cell-based assays ,” said Jennifer Sass , a senior scientist at the environmental advocacy organization Natural Resources Defense Council .
Sass said she believes that both pressure from advocates and questions from journalists helped the EPA decide to change course on acephate . ProPublica began submitting a series of detailed inquiries to the agency about the pesticide starting in January . An EPA spokesperson said late Tuesday that the agency had been working for months on its proposal to ban acephate from food and that neither advocates nor journalists played a role in the decision .
The EPA proposal would ban acephate on all plants with the exception of trees that do not produce fruit or nuts .
While lauding the proposed ban , Nathan Donley , a scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity , expressed concern about the possibility that , after pesticide companies and agricultural groups respond to the proposal , the agency might not finalize its proposed ban ( the agency is accepting public comments through its portal until July 1 ).
“ The pushback on this is going to be really intense ,” Donley said . “ I hope they stick to their guns .”
This article originally appeared on ProPublica and is reprinted here according to their guidelines .
74 x The Trial Lawyer