While opponents and proponents debate its use, government regulators are re-examining its effects. Sometimes it's called Dursban, its trade name. But whatever its ID, physicians, environmentalists and a trail of people convinced they have been seriously harmed by the pesticide say you had better worry about it. DowElanco, the pesticide's major manufacturer, denies it is a problem and says that more than 200 animal studies as well as extensive studies of people who have come in contact with the substance have proven its safety. But for many the compound is associated with a vast array of problems, such as nausea and dizziness, nerve and muscle damage, miscarriages, memory loss and birth defects.
All pesticides are suspect.
But chlorpyrifos may be an especially troublesome one because its chemical structure is still something of a mystery, according to some researchers, including Environmental Protection Agency toxicologists. DowElanco says that modern research technology, including the ability to peer right down into the molecular structure of chlorpyrifos, has stripped it of its mysteries. And DowElanco says it is convinced chlorpyrifos is harmless, if used correctly. There are toxicologists, doctors and regulators who agree. Nevertheless, the chlorpyrifos waters are roiling.