Dear Administrator Jackson,

We, the undersigned individuals, write to urge EPA to take swift action to cancel all remaining uses of endosulfan and revoke all food residue tolerances for this toxic chemical.

In 2007, EPA found that use of endosulfan in agriculture poses unacceptable risks to the health and safety of pesticide applicators who handle this pesticide, and to farmworkers who work in endosulfan-treated fields. Agency calculations also show that its use on tomatoes in Florida (one the few remaining food crops in the U.S. with significant endosulfan use) presents a grave threat to aquatic organisms.

Since then, scientists from National Parks Services, the USGS, and other federal agencies have documented that endosulfan contaminates sensitive ecosystems from Florida Everglades to the Sierra Mountains to the Alaskan Arctic The accumulation of endosulfan in the Arctic is a serious concern, which is why the European Union has proposed that this chemical be added the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Listing endosulfan in the Convention would trigger a global phaseout of its production and use. The effect of endosulfan on amphibians has only begun to be explored, but is already apparent that it is extremely toxic to many species.

EPA data also indicate that use of endosulfan is declining, alternatives exist, and its continued use provides only minimal benefits to growers. It?s time for EPA to step up to the plate and begin reversing some of the damage done by the previous administration?s anti-regulatory stance . By banning endosulfan, the US will take a significant step towards regaining its position as a leader in environmental protection, and will join the 60 other countries around the world that have already phased out use of this dangerous pesticide.

Please take action now to protect the health of people and the environment at home as well as globally by banning endosulfan.