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Cuomo partially bans farm chemical chlorpyrifos

Dec 11, 2019 12:11 am
Rick Karlin reports for the Times Union that on Dec. 10 the Cuomo administration said it would partially ban aerial farm spraying of chlorpyrifos, a chemical that scientists say can harm children. Farmers will still be allowed to use the chemical on apple tree trunks, so it will continue to run off into groundwater. "Chlorpyrifos is a pesticide that has the potential to cause serious health problems in people who ingest it," Cuomo said in announcing the partial ban. The pesticide works negatively on the nervous system of insects, and is associated with brain development problems in infants and children. It has been used on row crops such as corn, soybeans, fruit and nut trees, brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower. Chlorpyrifos has been banned from household use since 2001. Read more about this story in the Times Union.