Lawmakers consider banning Minnesota's most widely used pesticide

Mar 23, 20210

Carlos Chavez, Los Angeles Time count

This photo shows cropdusting a field of corn in Camarillo, Calif., in 2001. Minnesota lawmakers are pushing a proposal to ban chlorpyrifos, which is typically sprayed over soybeans, wheat and sugar beets, is the most widely used insecticide in Minnesota.

Minnesota lawmakers are pushing a proposal to ban chlorpyrifos, a powerful and widely used pesticide that can cause brain damage and developmental defects in children.

The chemical, which is typically sprayed over soybeans, wheat and sugar beets, is the most widely used insecticide in Minnesota. Over the past several years, a growing number of states have banned it over concerns about the harm it can cause both when it is applied and when its residue contaminates food.

The state needs to find better and safer ways to grow crops, said Rep. Todd Lippert, DFL-Northfield, who introduced the proposed ban to a House committee Monday.

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