Chlorpyrifos final regulatory decision – revocation of food tolerances

Summary

This EPA regulatory document sets out the final decision to revoke all food tolerances for chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate insecticide widely used in conventional agriculture. The decision followed decades of scientific review and legal challenge, with the Agency concluding that available safety data could not demonstrate that chlorpyrifos residues on food meet the safety standard required by law, particularly with respect to neurodevelopmental harm in children. The ruling effectively ended lawful use of chlorpyrifos on food crops in the United States as of 2022.

UK applicability

The UK and EU had already moved to revoke authorisation for chlorpyrifos prior to this US decision, with the EU withdrawing approval in 2020 and the UK following suit; this document is therefore of comparative regulatory interest rather than direct policy applicability, though it reinforces the international trajectory towards restricting organophosphate pesticide use.

Key measures

Revocation of existing pesticide residue tolerances; risk assessment determinations under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; neurodevelopmental risk thresholds

Outcomes reported

The EPA formally revoked all food tolerances for chlorpyrifos, effectively prohibiting its use on food crops in the United States. The decision was based on a determination that no safe level of chlorpyrifos residue exposure could be established under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

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