11 years of lawsuits, reviews and delays by the Environmental Protection Agency, federal judges last week ordered the agency to ban chlorpyrifos, a widespread agricultural pesticide derived from a class of chemicals first used to develop World War II nerve agents.

The US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that "there was no justification" for the EPA to allow any amount of chlorpyrifos on fruits and vegetables "in the face of scientific evidence that its residue on food causes neurodevelopmental damage to children," wrote Judge Jed S. Rakoff.

"This is a big deal because it gets a dangerous neurotoxic pesticide off our food," says Mariso Ordonia, an associate attorney with Earthjustice who worked on the case.

Between 2011 to 2015, U.S. farmers sprayed five to ten million pounds of chlorpyrifos on corn, soybeans, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, fruits, nuts, and other row crops, according to the United States Geological Survey. The insecticide is also used on golf courses, in greenhouses and to treat wooden structures.

Popsci.com reported how, unwilling to wait for the EPA to take action, Hawaii already banned chlorpyrifos in May. Now the rest of the US will play catch up following Thursdays court order. The EPA has 60 days to ban chlorpyrifos or challenge the decision by petitioning the Supreme Court.

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