On December 2, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed rule to withdraw residue limits for chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate (OP) insecticide, for use in most foods, but retained residue limits associated with 11 food and feed crops that remain registered. This action is in response to an Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals decision aimed at reducing chlorpyrifos exposure and protecting public health.

The Assistant Administrator of EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention emphasized that children's health is a priority for EPA and that this proposed rule is a critical step in reducing the use of chlorpyrifos in food to better protect populations, including infants and children, from harmful chemicals.

Chlorpyrifos was once widely used in agriculture, including soybeans, fruit trees, and vegetables, as well as for non-food uses. High-dose OP exposures may result in neurologic effects such as tremors, fatigue, and nausea, with particular concern for pregnant women and children because chlorpyrifos has been linked to neurodevelopmental effects that may interfere with normal neurologic development.

In August 2021, EPA withdrew all residue limits for chlorpyrifos and discontinued its use in all foods and animal feeds. However, on November 2, 2023, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated EPA's rule and reinstated the residue limits for chlorpyrifos.On February 5, 2024, EPA published a Federal Register notice reflecting the court's decision to reinstate these residue limits.

In accordance with the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision, EPA worked with the chlorpyrifos registrant to limit the registered uses of chlorpyrifos on food to those consistent with the 11 uses referenced by the court and identified in the interim registration review decision filed in 2020. These 11 food uses include alfalfa, apples, asparagus, tart cherries, citrus, cotton, peaches, soybeans, strawberries, sugar beets, and spring and winter wheat, and are limited to specific states. This measure has the potential to reduce the amount of chlorpyrifos used annually in the United States by 70 percent from historical use.

The registration review process for chlorpyrifos is still ongoing, and EPA plans to issue a revised interim registration review decision for public comment in 2026. The public can view the proposed rule and provide comments for 60 days on the Federal Register website.EPA will continue to update the status of its evaluation and actions related to chlorpyrifos pesticide use.