Hawaii Becomes First State to Ban Pesticide Found to Be Harmful to Children

Photo by Wikimedia Commons

For Presence Marketing Newsletter, July 2018
By Steven Hoffman

More than a year after the Trump administration denied a petition to ban the controversial pesticide chlorpyrifos, the state of Hawaii on June 13 became the first U.S. state to ban this widely used pesticide, found to be linked to severe developmental problems in children and other significant health risks.

Under Senate Bill 3095, signed into law by Gov. David Ige after it was unanimously approved by the state legislature, pesticides containing chlorpyrifos will be prohibited throughout Hawaii beginning Jan. 1, 2019. Businesses will be able to apply for a three-year extension to meet the new regulations, reported Huffington Post.

The new law also prohibits the spraying of pesticides within 100 feet of schools during normal school hours. According to The Garden Island, the law also provides $300,000 from the Pesticides Revolving Fund for staffing, education and outreach plus funding to monitor and study pesticide drift at three schools in the state.

“This was a law that was years in the making. Its time had come,” Hawaii state Sen. Russell Ruderman told The Garden State. “We have been guided by the belief that we must always put our keiki (Hawaiian word for children) first. On that we should all agree.”

Steven Hoffman is Managing Director of Compass Natural, providing brand marketing, PR, social media, and strategic business development services to natural, organic and sustainable products businesses. Contact steve@compassnaturalmarketing.com.