This week I read an article by Nicholas Kristof in the Sunday New York Times called Trump’s Legacy: Damaged Brains. This is about the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stance on the insecticide chlorpyrifois.

The chemical was banned from residential use 17 years ago but it still used on food and in various other places. The EPA was ready to further limit use but the Trump administration put a stop to that. Here is a small quote from Mr. Kristof’s article:

So Dow’s Nerve Gas Pesticide will still be used on golf courses, road medians and crops that end up on our plate. Kids are told to eat fruits and vegetables, but E.P.A. scientists found levels of this pesticide on such foods at up to 140 times the limits deemed safe.

“This was a chemical developed to attack the nervous system,” notes Virginia Rauh, a Columbia professor who has conducted groundbreaking research on it. “It should not be a surprise that it’s not good for people.”

If that little bit doesn’t convince you, read what the American Academy for Pediatrics had to say in a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt .

Several weeks ago, I wrote about why we need a strong EPA and this was certainly a reminder.

I would argue that one reason we need a stronger EPA to keep our environment safe for humans. Of course, there more than one side to the argument. We will spend more in taking care of unhealthy humans than healthy ones and this willl stimulate the economy. Or maybe chemical industry profits are more important than health. Sadly, it is these arguments that may be winning.

What is Trump’s Legacy ? Is it damaged brains? Is it putting profits above people? Is it growing the economy at the cost of human health? Will it be something else?

Will future generations ask “What were they thinking?”