Connecticut Bans Brain-Damaging Chlorpyrifos
State ends the use of pesticide on golf courses, mandates investigation of bee-killing pesticidesHARTFORD, Conn. – Gov. Ned Lamont signed Senate Bill 120 into law yesterday, banning the brain-damaging pesticide chlorpyrifos on golf courses and in other turf, lawn and ornamental settings. This ban is the first state effort to disallow other uses since the EPA recently banned the use of chlorpyrifos on food crops.
Decades of science has clearly linked chlorpyrifos to brain damage in children, in addition to threatening the health of farmworkers and more than 1,200 endangered species. The EPA has banned use of chlorpyrifos on food crops and in certain indoor settings.
“Connecticut has stepped up where the EPA has dragged its feet”, said Jason Davidson, Senior Food and Agriculture Campaigner with Friends of the Earth. “This bill will keep chlorpyrifos out of places that directly affect our communities, and provide safeguards for bees and other pollinators. We are thrilled to see Connecticut continue to lead in protecting people and the environment from toxic pesticides.”
“I was proud to support the legislation banning the toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos,” said State Representative Cristin McCarthy Vahey (District 133), “I was moved not only as a lawmaker but also as a person whose father is fighting Parkinson’s disease due to his exposure to toxic pesticides during the Vietnam War. We, as elected officials, must continue to take steps to regulate pesticides known to harm human health, pollinators and the planet.”
“By taking further action on chlorpyrifos, the Connecticut legislature is acknowledging that EPA decisions are not adequately protective of public health and the environment,” said Drew Toher, Community Resource and Policy Director at Beyond Pesticides. “We urge lawmakers to continue this work by eliminating toxic pesticide use that puts resident and worker health, and the fragile ecology we rely upon in danger.”
“Advocates have been working to ban chlorpyrifos in CT for over four years. Given the opposition in past years, the unanimous vote in the House and the Senate is proof that opinions surrounding pesticide use is shifting,” said Tara Cook-Littman, an Environmental Advocate in Connecticut. “We must continue the important work of educating legislators and the public about the health and environmental impact of toxic pesticides.”
Communications contact: Kerry Skiff, (202) 222-0723, [email protected]