A federal lawsuit has been filed to ban one of the chemicals that some cotton, peanut and corn farmers in Jackson County use in battling the pests that threaten their crops.
Chlorpyrifos, also sold as Lorsban, was banned for household use some years ago. It is currently approved for application in the field.
The chemical causes nerve damage in insects. Those who are suing to have it fully banned by the Environmental Protection Agency say it is toxic to humans, and can affect their nervous systems along with other serious effects.
Lorsban is an option that Jackson County farmers would hate to lose, according to Clyde Smith, a regional pest management agent with the Jackson County Extension Office.
“It’s a little bit different than some of the newer chemicals we use,” Smith said. “Its residual effects last longer than most. Instead of two or three days after application, it continues to work 15 to 20 days. It doesn’t degrade in the field as quickly as some of the others.”
Smith said it is not something farmers rely on all the time, but sometime use as a backup to other, more recently developed chemicals.
“Typically, it’s more expensive than some of the others, and less effective on a broader range of things,” he said. “It can take out some of the beneficial insects, so we only use it when we need to do something specific that it’s better at, like chinch bugs in corn, earworm in corn and peanuts, and plant bugs in cotton. It’s better than some others in attacking these.”
The chemical is also useful as an alternative when the target pests begin to build resistance to other more commonly used pesticides.
Smith said that, as the lawsuit makes its way through the courts, users will have an opportunity to have offer their input in the matter.
The suit was filed Thursday by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Pesticide Action Network North America in a federal court in New York.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement