Children in New Zealand are being exposed to potentially dangerous levels of a controversial insecticide known to harm their brains, and at higher levels than in other countries.

Today, on World Environment Day, an alliance of civil society organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand call on the Government and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to urgently speed up the reassessment of the toxic organophosphate insecticide, chlorpyrifos.

Chlorpyrifos, still widely used here, is undergoing a UN process for a global ban because of its environmental and human health impacts. The POPs Review Committee, the technical committee of the Stockholm Convention, has already found that chlorpyrifos is persistent in the environment, bioaccumulates in the food chain, undergoes long range environmental transport and is highly toxic to people and both aquatic and terrestrial organisms.

“Children are particularly at risk from exposure to even minute amounts of chlorpyrifos, such as residues in food”, said Dr Meriel Watts of PANANZ.

“The unborn infant is even more vulnerable: exposure to even very low levels at the foetal stage can result in structural changes in the developing brain and losses in cognitive function, particularly IQ and working memory. These and early childhood exposures can lead to ADHD, autism and pervasive developmental disorders with long term consequences for social adjustment and academic achievement” said Dr Watts.

Alison White of the Safe Food Campaign agrees, highlighting the recent study (Li et al 2022) that had found NZ school-age children had levels of chlorpyrifos metabolites between two and seven times higher than their peers in USA, Canada, Spain or Thailand.

“We urgently need to get this toxic pesticide out of our children’s food. The USA finally banned all use of chlorpyrifos on food crops last year, after more than a 20-year protracted political battle. Our NZ EPA has finally put it on the reassessment list, but in view of this recent study, we cannot wait for this process to slowly work its way through.” Ms White said today. “We need urgent action now.”

Soil & Health Association Chair, Marion Wood, was unequivocal. “We supported a call for an immediate reassessment of chlorpyrifos nearly ten years ago after a study found the pesticide in even organic farm waterways. It took seven years to even list it (2020) for reassessment. We must do better than this.”

Dr Watts agrees and emphasises that New Zealand also has a duty and commitment to the environment.

“We know that chlorpyrifos has been found not only in our rivers and streams but in the air over the Southern Alps from the Canterbury Plains. It is only one step from there to the Antarctic region. We cannot allow this pesticide to continue to contaminate what should be a pristine environment” she said.

Dr Watts, who is an official observer at the POPs Review Committee process, said that New Zealand must take advantage of the fact that NZ EPA’s Principal Scientist is currently chairing the international committee that has found chlorpyrifos to meet the criteria for a Persistent Organic Pollutant. “All the information is available to make a rapid decision on this one.”

“It’s time for Aotearoa New Zealand to step up to its commitments to its environment, to keeping children safe, and to preventing further contamination of Antarctica” said Dr Watts.

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