Europe, California to Ban Chlorpyrifos

California regulators have reportedly indicated that they will ban the pesticide chlorpyrifos following the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) refusal to ban the substance. “We have to step into the void and take action where the federal government has failed to do so,” the head of the state’s environmental agency reportedly told The Los Angeles Times. The announcement also follows a lawsuit filed by California and five other states challenging EPA’s decision.

In Europe, the approval period for chlorpyrifos ends in January 2020, and the European Food Safety Authority has indicated—without issuing a formal decision—that it has “identified concerns about possible genotoxic effects as well as neurological effects during development, supported by epidemiological data indicating effects in children,” according to a press release. “This means that no safe exposure level—or toxicological reference value—can be set for the substance.”