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CHLORPYRIFOS

Chlorpyrifos is a nerve poison. Neurobehavioral effects include persistent headaches, blurred vision, unusual fatigue or muscle weakness, memory problems, depression, and irritability. It persists up to a year in soil and is highly toxic to fish. It is associated with birth defects and is particularly hazardous to infants and children. Its formulation for home use, Dursban, was recently banned by the EPA. It is still approved for agricultural use.

It is one of the leading causes of pesticide poisonings in the U.S., according to the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP). Chlorpyrifos causes a range of neurological problems and has been linked to human birth defects, fetal death in animals and damage to human and animal reproductive systems. Of reported agricultural pesticide poisonings in California between 1984 and 1990, chlorpyrifos ranked fifth in systemic and respiratory illnesses and sixth in acute illnesses.
--http://www.pmac.net/panup.htm

 

 

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