Dow Chemical has always been in controversy with their pesticides. Environmentalists claim that the company is selling pesticides that are harmful to human health. Dow Chemical has also been named as the 11th top air polluting corporation in the United States.
Now the company is again in trouble and this time it is not alone and will be accompanied by the EPA. A lawsuit has been filed against EPA for approving the use of a pesticide named chlorpyrifos. This chemical was originally developed as a potent neurotoxin in chemical bombs during World War II and after that the EPA approved it for farm use. The use of the chemical has some serious health consequences that include nausea, dizziness and in rare circumstances can even cause death.
The chemical was re-approved for farming in 2001 by the EPA after safety tests were conducted by Dow Chemical. Dow Chemical has stated that the lawsuit is without merit since the chemical has been in use since the last forty years and is approved for sale in 100 countries. Others however, claim that the tests conducted by Dow Chemical were not appropriate and were just conducted on cash-strapped and semi-informed college students.
EPA has limited the use of the chemical to just farms away from residential areas, however it has to think about the people who are working in these farms.
Via: Tree Hugger
