Chlorpyrifos
““A neurotoxin they kept on the shelf.””
For decades chlorpyrifos was sprayed across American farms while manufacturers allegedly buried what their own science showed: this pesticide damages developing brains and drives neurological disease. We hold them accountable.
Autism, ADHD, IQ loss, developmental delay, Parkinson's
Farmworkers, applicators, agricultural communities & their children
Corteva, Dow Chemical, FMC (Cheminova)
Active state & federal filings — no MDL yet
What is chlorpyrifos?
Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate insecticide sold for decades under names like Dursban and Lorsban and used widely on food crops. Once in the body it converts to chlorpyrifos-oxon — a far more potent neurotoxin, reported to be roughly a thousand times more toxic than the parent compound — that shuts down an enzyme essential to healthy nerve function.
The EPA’s own scientists concluded there was no safe level of exposure in food and water for children. That finding drove a 2021 federal move to revoke all food-crop tolerances — an effective ban — before the Eighth Circuit vacated it in late 2023 and the pesticide returned to the market. That history is the heart of the fight: manufacturers say they complied with the EPA; families say the companies knew the danger for decades.
Who may have a claim
Two groups are at the center of this litigation. First, children with neurodevelopmental injuries — autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, reduced IQ, and developmental delay — often born to mothers exposed during pregnancy in agricultural communities. Second, adults with heavy occupational exposure — farmworkers, pesticide applicators, and pest-control technicians — now developing Parkinson’s disease, which peer-reviewed research links to more than double the ordinary risk.
The legal theory
These are product liability claims: defective design, failure to warn, and negligence in failing to test for and disclose the harm to children and the nervous system. Corteva voluntarily ended U.S. production of its chlorpyrifos line in 2020 — before any ban — a fact plaintiffs cite as evidence of notice.
Where the litigation stands
The litigation is early and dispersed across state and federal courts, with volume building fast — many in the plaintiffs’ bar view it as the next Roundup. There is no consolidated MDL and no certified class yet, which means early, well-built cases will help set the value of every claim that follows. Stinar Lannen has the scientific literacy and financial staying power to take these cases to the largest agrochemical defendants in the country.
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