State Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, D-Los Angeles, is proposing Senate Bill 458 to ban a widely-used chemical ingredient that has been scientifically proven to damage child brain development.

The legislation is supported by the Children’s Defense Fund, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the California Medical Association.  But Sen. Durazo is facing extraordinarily well-funded special interest opposition.  And without the help of individual Californians, her effort could fail.  Shame on us if we don’t help.

Here are the scientific and medical facts:

The American Academy of Pediatrics reports: “There is a wealth of evidence demonstrating the detrimental effects of chlorpyrifos exposure to developing fetuses, infants, children, and pregnant women.”

The Center for Environmental Research and Children’s Health, UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health found that children exposed to chlorpyrifos while their mothers were pregnant were associated with poorer intellectual development in 7-year-old children.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency scientists estimated in 2016 that exposure to chlorpyrifos on food is 140 times higher for children than what the agency deems safe.

One of the most compelling arguments Gov. Gavin Newsom makes in support of his proposed expansion of early childhood education is how it improves brain development.  Would it not be ironic for the Legislature to approve that proposal while allowing continued use of a chemical proven to do the exact opposite?

I’ve been working on reducing toxic chemicals that damage the health of our communities for 30 years since we passed the Toxics Use Reduction Act in Massachusetts. The special interest opponents are following the old tobacco industry game plan: deny the independent science, pay for science that protects the status quo, and tell us that there isn’t an effective substitute available.

What the opposition doesn’t mention is that Raid bug killer contained chlorpyrifos, but now it doesn’t.  And it still works.  When the maker of Raid, S. C. Johnson and Son was confronted with the scientific evidence about the brain damaging impact of chlorpyrifos, they simply removed it.  Are the pesticide companies telling us they can’t?

What they say instead is that they’ll be careful.  A ban isn’t necessary.  That sounds like the NRA’s argument against banning assault weapons.

SB 458 is before the Senate Health Committee.  The Democratic senators who serve are good people.  They don’t need us attacking them.  They need us supporting them for doing the right thing.

I am mobilizing everyone I know to email or call each of the senators on the health committee.  It’s not hard.  It will help.  And you can do it today.

Here are their email addresses and their telephone numbers: Sen.Richard Pan, 916-651-4006, senator.pan@senate.ca.gov; Sen. Susan Rubio, 916-651-4022, senator.rubio@senate.ca.gov; Sen.  William Monning, 916-651-4017, senator.monning@senate.ca.gov; Sen.Holly Mitchell, 916-651-4030, senator.mitchell@senate.ca.gov; Sen. Connie Leyva. 916-651-4020, senator.leyva@senate.ca.gov; Sen. Melissa Hurtado, 916-651-4014, senator.hurtado@senate.ca.gov; and Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, 916-651-4024, senator.durazo@senate.ca.gov.

Menlo Park entrepreneur Josh Becker served for five years on Gov. Jerry Brown’s California State Workforce Development Board. He is a candidate for the 13th District seat in the California Senate.