Why is it So Hard to Ban Pesticides in the U.S.?
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was just the beginning. Her book, published in 1962, pulled back the curtain on the widespread environmental damage caused by using the insecticide DDT. Americans saw the dangers of improperly using pesticides before understanding the consequences to wildlife and humans for the first time.After the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, the agency issued a cancellation order for DDT based on its adverse effects on the environment and humans. But DDT was just the first in a long line of pesticides that can harm humans, and it can be nearly impossible to get these dangerous chemicals banned in the U.S. Why is this so hard? Industry lobbyists and organizations may hold some of the blame.
Regulating Dangerous Chemicals
Despite class-action lawsuit after class-action lawsuit, the U.S. still seems to always lag in regulating dangerous chemicals used in the workplace and our food supply. When the agency finally banned chlorpyrifos in August of 2021, a chemical the Natural Resource Defense Council called “one of the most toxic and widely used pesticides on the market,” farmers objected vehemently. Farmers and farming industry organizations also objected when the EPA banned dicamba, despite evidence of growing pest resistance and the health risks for humans.The farming industry continues to object to any attempt at more strictly regulating these chemicals. In November of 2021, Senator Cory Booker proposed the Protect America’s Children from Toxic Pesticides Act of 2021. The legislation would update the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, banning chemicals that are proven to harm public health and the environment. But farmers and large agricultural concerns are fighting back, arguing that banning some pesticides will reduce agricultural yields. Today, the legislation is still pending in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Legal Guidance You Can Trust
If you or a family member are facing serious illness or disease after exposure to a pesticide, we may be able to help. Call the Madeksho Law Firm at 1-888-910-6376 or fill out our online form. Your consultation is free, and you won’t pay anything unless we recover compensation on your behalf.
