{"id":5604,"date":"2019-12-13T20:10:49","date_gmt":"2019-12-13T20:10:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/environment\/?p=5604"},"modified":"2019-12-16T20:12:00","modified_gmt":"2019-12-16T20:12:00","slug":"emmett-clinic-files-amicus-brief-supporting-chlorpyrifos-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/environment\/2019\/12\/13\/emmett-clinic-files-amicus-brief-supporting-chlorpyrifos-ban\/","title":{"rendered":"Emmett Clinic Files Amicus Brief Supporting Chlorpyrifos Ban"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Emmett Clinic submitted an amicus brief<\/a> today in a 9th Circuit case challenging the Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s failure to ban agricultural uses of the organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos. \u00a0In 2016, EPA had proposed to remove all food tolerances for chlorpyrifos under the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act\u2014an action that would have prohibited all use of the pesticide on food crops. \u00a0This year, however, EPA reversed course and decided not to ban the pesticide, citing scientific uncertainty and its alleged inability to review the raw data from a key epidemiological study. \u00a0A group of states and a coalition of environmental and farmworkers\u2019 organizations have challenged this reversal in court. \u00a0The Clinic, representing the American Academy of Pediatrics, Alliance of Nurses for Health Environments, American Public Health Association, Migrant Clinicians Network, Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of PSR, and the Union of Concerned Scientists, submitted an amicus brief in support of these challenges.<\/p>\n

The brief explains that a significant body of research from both epidemiological and animal studies has demonstrated that children are vulnerable to long-lasting neurological harm from exposure to chlorpyrifos during pregnancy, even at levels far below the current tolerances permitted by EPA. \u00a0In particular, the studies show that chlorpyrifos can alter the very structure of the brain, as well as leading to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other behavioral problems. \u00a0In light of the large and robust research data demonstrating these harms, EPA cannot reasonably cite scientific uncertainty as a basis for failing to take action.<\/p>\n

The brief also responds to EPA\u2019s assertion that it cannot rely on a key epidemiological study because the agency does not have access to the raw data from that study.\u00a0 As the brief explains, this assertion is contrary to scientific best practices, EPA\u2019s statutory mandates, and case law.\u00a0 It also ignores EPA\u2019s prior factual determinations in this matter.<\/p>\n

Read the brief here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This brief builds on a previous one<\/a> that the Clinic filed in an earlier round of litigation.\u00a0 Ryan Petty (JD \u201919) wrote that brief under the supervision of Deputy Director Shaun Goho.\u00a0 Katherine Clements (JD \u201921) revised, updated, and expanded the brief for the current case.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Emmett Clinic submitted an amicus brief today in a 9th Circuit case challenging the Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s failure to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-clinic-publications","category-news","post-archive"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/201"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5604"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5604\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/environment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}