The pesticide chlorpyrifos has been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders in fetuses, infants and young children. Exposure to chlorpyrifos has been linked to the following in infants and children:
- Impairment of neurological development
- Birth defects
- Reduced IQ
- Brain damage
- Delays in development
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Deficits in behavior
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Neurological impairment
- Cognitive impairments, such as problems with motor skills, focus, and memory
Call us today at 800-718-4658 for a free consultation if you or a loved one has suffered from one or more of the above complications after exposure to chlorpyrifos. You may be entitled to financial compensation.
We don’t charge a fee unless and until we obtain a recovery. You will never owe us any money out of pocket.
What Can Be Recovered In A Chlorpyrifos Lawsuit?
You may be eligible to recover numerous types of financial damages in a chlorpyrifos lawsuit, including:
- Damages for the pain and suffering of your child
- Damages for the loss of earning capacity suffered by your child
- Damages for the de-contamination of your home
- Damages for the past and future medical expenses, and special needs and care, of your child
- Damages for your loss of consortium, mental anguish and sorrow
- Punitive damages for the reckless, recklessly indifferent, and willful conduct of chlorpyrifos manufacturers
What Crops Are Sprayed With Chlorpyrifos?
Millions of pounds of chlorpyrifos are sprayed on over 50 crops every year in the United States, including:
- Peaches
- Corn
- Cranberries
- Soybeans
- Walnuts
- Almonds
- Apples
- Citrus
- Strawberries
- Cotton
- Grapes
Chlorpyrifos, Chlorpyrifos Oxon, And TCPy
Chlorpyrifos, which is often sold in California as Lorsban, was found by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2000 to be toxic to the developing nervous system and brain of children.
Chlorpyrifos is often sold with instructions to mix it with water before applying it to fields and orchards. Unfortunately, chlorpyrifos converts to chlorpyrifos oxon when it is mixed with chlorine-treated water (almost all tap water is treated with chlorine) or recycled water from agricultural fields which is contaminated with brominated pesticides. Chlorpyrifos can also convert to chlorpyrifos oxon in sunlight.
Chlorpyrifos oxon is relatively stable in the environment, so areas contaminated by it remain toxic for months, especially when it gets indoors. Chlorpyrifos oxon is about 1,000 more times toxic than chlorpyrifos.
Chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos oxon can also further degrade to 3,5,6-trichloro-2—pyridinol (TCPy) when they are exposed to sunlight, halogens in the environment, and oxidizing pollutants. TCPy has been found to be a true endocrine disruptor.
Chlorpyrifos is registered and approved by the EPA for use as a pesticide. Chlorpyrifos oxon and TCPy are not registered and approved by the EPA for use as pesticides. However, the unfortunate reality is that because sunlight, as well as the water typically mixed with chlorpyrifos, convert chlorpyrifos to chlorpyrifos oxon and TCPy, the application of chlorpyrifos is inevitably the application of the dangerous, unregistered chemicals chlorpyrifos oxon and TCPy.
Chlorpyrifos, Chlorpyrifos Oxon, And TCPy Exposure In Children
Fetuses, infants and children can be exposed to chlorpyrifos, chlorpyrifos oxon and TCPy in many ways, including:
- Agricultural packing house workers typically wash produce in chlorinated water, which can convert chlorpyrifos on the produce to the highly toxic chlorpyrifos oxon. Pregnant packing house workers can expose fetuses to chlorpyrifos oxon through the washing of produce.
- Chlorpyrifos, chlorpyrifos oxon and TCPy can migrate into homes located near agricultural fields when they drift into the homes via the wind.
- Agricultural field workers’ clothes can become contaminated by chlorpyrifos, chlorpyrifos oxon and TCPy, and children can be exposed to these toxic chemicals when the field workers interact with their children while wearing the contaminated clothes.
- Chlorpyrifos, chlorpyrifos oxon and TCPy can end up in water supplies when chlorpyrifos is sprayed near water supplies, such as aqueducts.
Chlorpyrifos Manufacturers Knew, Hid Risks Of Chlorpyrifos
Chlorpyrifos manufacturers, such as Dow Chemical Company and Corteva Inc., knew or should have known since the late 1960s or early 1970s that chlorpyrifos can convert into the much more toxic chlorpyrifos oxon when it is exposed to sunlight.
Researchers working with the United States Department of Agriculture, in 2002, found that chlorinated water can cause chlorpyrifos to convert into chlorpyrifos oxon, noting that chlorpyrifos oxon is about 1,000 times more toxic than chlorpyrifos, and noting their findings raised important safety concerns about chlorpyrifos.
However, chloryprifos manufacturers such as Dow have insisted that chlorpyrifos is only converted to chlorpyrifos oxon inside the human body, where they claim it is quickly detoxified by the liver.
Chlorpyrifos manufacturers should have included instructions on their products to only mix chlorpyrifos with purified or distilled water, and should have warned that the pesticide should not be applied near water sources such as canals and aqueducts. Manufacturers of the pesticide should have also warned that sunlight can convert chlorpyrifos to chlorpyrifos oxon, leading to a high likelihood that applicators and bystanders would directly encounter the highly toxic chlorpyrifos oxon.
Since the EPA found that chlorpyrifos was toxic to the brains and nervous systems of children in 2000, manufacturers of the pesticide should have warned of the risks to children associated with it as well as the extra care needed near structures where pregnant women or children may be present.
Nadrich & Cohen has been holding manufacturers of dangerous products accountable for failing to warn the public about the risks connected with their products since 1990. We will hold chlorpyrifos manufacturers responsible for knowingly concealing the toxic effects of chlorpyrifos from the public.
Chlorpyrifos Lawsuits
Our experienced toxic exposure attorneys have spent decades helping those injured by dangerous products obtain financial compensation for their injuries. We have built relationships with the finest doctors in California through the years, and because these doctors know we obtain great recoveries for our clients, they agree to treat our clients without charging them until their case is over. This means we can get your child the best medical care available and you won’t be charged for it until your case is over.
We are contingency fee attorneys, meaning we don’t charge a fee for our services if we don’t obtain financial compensation for our clients. The only fee we charge is a small portion of any recovery we obtain.
Call us today at 800-718-4658 for a free consultation if your child has developed a neurodevelopmental disorder after exposure to chlorpyrifos, or use the texting feature on this page to contact us. We will hold the manufacturers of this dangerous pesticide accountable for failing to warn the public about its toxic effects on children.
