Trump administration won't ban pesticide tied to childhood brain damage

Evironmental Protection Agency rejects proposed ban on chlorpyrifos, despite growing evidence of its toxicity

The US government has rejected a proposed ban on a toxic pesticide linked to brain damage in children, dismissing a growing body of research on the health hazards of a widely used agricultural chemical.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in a ruling on Thursday that it supported farmers' continued use of chlorpyrifos, a pesticide that growers have long sprayed on almonds, citrus, cotton, grapes, walnuts and other major crops in America. The decision, outlined in a response to a petition from environmental and public health groups, said "critical questions remained regarding the significance of the data" on neurological impacts on children.