What exactly is EPA doing about chlorpyrifos?
A. EPA has released a schedule that will stop some agricultural uses within a few months (on tomatoes and post-bloom apple crops), and reduce the legal dose in other cases (on grapes and pre-bloom apples). Manufacture of products containing chlorpyrifos for residential, school, park, and commercial uses (lawn and garden, crack-and-crevice treatment for ants and termites, whole-house termite treatment) must end by December 1, 2000. Sale to retailers must end by February 1, 2001. Retail sale must end by December 31, 2001. Some usesthose deemed important to protect the public health (such as professional application of “ultra-low-volume” mosquitocide treatments or for fire ant mounds) or those where children are unlikely to be exposed to the chemical (such as on golf courses or in containerized baits)will be allowed to continue, with labeling restrictions. Q. If chlorpyrifos is so bad, why are stores still selling it? A. Chlorpyrifos has been sold and used for 30 years. While EPAs action
