DEC directed to ban aerial use of chlorpyrifos

Gov. Andrew Cuomo directed the Department of Environmental Conservation to take immediate action to ban aerial use of chlorpyrifos.

DECwill also have regulations in place to ban chlorpyrifos for all uses, except spraying apple tree trunks, by December 2020. Chlorpyrifos will be banned for all uses by July 2021. These actions will protect New Yorkers from significant adverse public health impacts, especially for children, according to state officials.

“Chlorpyrifos is a pesticide that has the potential to cause serious health problems in people who ingest it,” Cuomo said in a news release.

“I am directing the state department of environmental conservation to ban the use of this toxic substance to help ensure New York families aren’t needlessly exposed to a dangerous chemical,” Cuomo added.

While organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos has been banned for residential use since 2001, officials said it is still currently approved for use in fifty different products, the majority of which are registered for use in agricultural production.

The largest agricultural market for chlorpyrifos in terms of total pounds of active ingredient is corn. It is also used on soybeans, fruit and nut trees, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower, seed treatments, as well as other row crops. Nonagricultural uses include golf courses, turf, greenhouses, and on non-structural wood treatments such as utility poles and fence posts.

Scientific research has shown that chlorpyrifos can harm the development of nervous systems of infants and young children. Prenatal exposure to organophosphates can result in diminished cognitive ability, delays in motor development and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Chlorpyrifos is in some cases the only product available labeled for use against certain pests. It is particularly effective against the American plum borer and rosy apple aphid. Chlorpyrifos can also be used in rotation with other methods of pest management, such as treated seeds, as a means to manage pesticide resistance.

As New York and nearby states are infiltrated by invasive species, such as the black stem borer, pest management tools are needed to prevent their spread and the ensuing damage.

The application of pesticides must be done in a manner that is protective of public health and the environment and New York is one of a few states in the country with a regulatory program designed specifically to review and register pesticides, implement regulatory controls, and enforce worker protection standards. State law affords DEC with a broad range of regulatory powers including the ability to restrict the use of a pesticide to certain crops, limit application to specific conditions, and revocation of a product’s registration.

“I amdirecting the state department of environmental conservation to ban the use of this toxic substance to help ensureNew York families aren’t needlessly exposed to a dangerous chemical” — Gov. Andrew Cuomo