California Wednesday announced a ban of chlorpyrifos use within the state.
The state Environmental Protection Agency chose to ban chlorpyrifos following what it calls mounting evidence that the pesticide “causes serious health effects in children and other sensitive populations at lower levels of exposure than previously understood.”
Chlorpyrifos is an insecticide used to control many different kinds of pests, such as those found in roughly 50 different crops including corn and soybeans.
CalEPA Secretary Jared Blumenfeld says the state action to cancel registries for chlorpyrifos “is needed to prevent the significant harm this pesticide causes children, farm workers and vulnerable communities.”
California is also proposing to use $5.7 million in funding for additional research and technical assistance in research to identify safer alternatives.
Just last week, New York lawmakers approved a ban of chlorpyrifos.
The California and New York bans follow the first state ban enacted in Hawaii last year.