By Zamone Perez
Virginia News Connection
Conservation groups have filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency over its approval of a Forever Chemical insecticide.
The insecticide, called isocycloseram, is a type of chemical known as PFAS, known for accumulating in the environment. It was approved for use on golf courses, lawns and a wide range of food crops.
The lawsuit points to research by the EPA on animals, which shows the insecticide affects their reproductive ability and harms the liver.
Nathan Donley, environmental health science director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said its approval points to the power of chemical manufacturers.
He noted that four of the top political appointees now in the EPA’s Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Office are former lobbyists for the pesticide industry.
“The scientific consensus on the harms from these chemicals is so clear and ingrained, that to have one of these pesticides just be approved a few months ago is so frustrating to see,” said Donley. “It really gets at how much influence the pesticide industry has over the approval of these products in this country.”
The EPA has proposed mitigations to reduce the risks and says it’s providing growers with flexibility to control pests. That includes requiring spray-drift buffers, and prohibiting use in the days leading up to blooms for crops and at times of the day when pollinators are most active.
Agriculture is the largest private industry in Virginia, with an economic impact of more than $80 billion dollars a year.
The EPA’s own research has found bees and other pollinators could be exposed to 1,500 times the lethal level of isocycloseram when collecting pollen and nectar near treated orchards.
Donley predicted that the use of these types of pesticides will affect the health of future generations.
“The fact that these chemicals will be around for an incredibly long time, means a lot of the harms that come from them aren’t going to be felt by ourselves,” said Donley. “They’re going to be shouldered by our children and our children’s children. So, it’s really the next generation that is going to be paying the price for the mistakes that we’re making today.”
