With a widespread overuse of pesticides, these toxic chemicals are proven to cause cancer, birth defects and learning disabilities in humans, while having a negative impact on the ecosystem. Pesticides are a large group of chemicals designed to kill unwanted insects (insecticides), weeds (herbicides), rodents (rodenticides), fungi (fungicides), and other so-called pests.
Dangerous pesticides are continuously being used in agriculture nationwide as well as in residential and commercial lawn care and are active ingredients in many other products, such as dog and cat flee and tick treatments. Toxic pesticides, such as chlorpyrifos, neonicotinoids, glyphosate and 2,4-D, which have been proven to have negative health and environmental impacts, need to be banned immediately.
It’s time we call on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban the use of these toxic products as pesticide residue has a devastating impact on butterflies, bees and other pollinators, contaminates ground water, exposes farm workers and their families to harm, and puts children and their families living near fields and orchards at greater risk.
We must also call on the EPA to pass stronger protections against known toxic chemicals. According to the NRDC, the EPA approves new pesticides before a full evaluation of health and environmental impacts has been completed.
It’s time the EPA bans dangerous pesticides and puts the health of humans and the environment first.
