The Maryland Smart on Pesticides Coalition is holding a lobby day on Feb. 11 at the state house in support of legislation to ban chlorpyrifos. They have asked the Maryland Green Party to join their efforts by supporting this bill, and possibly participating in the lobby day. The event would take place in Annapolis from 4:45-8:15pm and food will be provided that will include vegetarian and gluten free options. The bill’s hearing date is February 13th, two days after our lobby day, meaning your attendance is critical to keep our cause’s momentum.

Chlorpyrifos is a neurotoxin that was banned for indoor uses in 2000, however in a 2015 study by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that chlorpyrifos is the fourth most common pesticide found in human foods due to its widespread use in agriculture. In 2016, EPA proposed to ban all uses because the pesticide can damages children’s’ developing brains and is linked to autism, cancer and Parkinson’s disease and is extremely harmful to wildlife. However, in 2017, the Trump administration reversed the decision.

A draft biological evaluation by the Environmental Protection Agency found that chlorpyrifos is “likely to adversely affect” 97 percent of all threatened and endangered wildlife, including more than 100 listed bird species. Chlorpyrifos is also a major concern for the health of aquatic life and the Chesapeake Bay. A Chesapeake Bay Program report found chlorpyrifos in 90 percent of Bay water samples analyzed for this chemical, and 40 percent of those had concentrations that exceeded thresholds indicating possible ecological effects.

In response to federal inaction, the Maryland legislature introduced a bill to ban chlorpyrifos. This bill is widely supported by nearly 100 organizations across the state, including national public health organizations that support a ban on this toxic pesticide such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Learning Disabilities Association of America.