To Whom it May Concern at the EPA,

In regard to the public comment period on chlorpyrifos (Docket #OPP-34203), I would like to submit the following comments for consideration.

Chlorpyrifos should be taken off the market for all uses in and around homes and in or around schools.  My 9 year old son was poisoned by Chlorpyrifos and has lost many years of his child-hood as a result.  He has suffered a lot of pain including upper body muscle tightness, facial twitching, choking sensation, teeth grinding, sleeplessness, hyperactivity, attention deficit, chemical sensitivity, tourettes syndrome symptoms with vocal twitches, migraines, stomach aches, rashes, severe leg pains and resulting isolation.  Our family has been devastated and all suffer symptoms from our exposure to this chemical.  My other younger son (4) is also sensitive to fragrances, polyester, nylon, soy and has lactose intolerance.  As an infant he had sores on his cheeks and chin constantly and had to be put on rice milk because of intolerance to all the formulas.  When he would crawl on our carpeting that had the pesticide spray on the surface, he would drool.  I have developed asthma with no family history and also chronic fatigue.  My husband's and my marriage and finances have suffered as a result of these chronic health problems.  Even our cat died because of a  tumor in his throat.  By the 3rd exposure to Chlorpyrifos my oldest son developed choking sensations for 24 hours with facial grimacing twitches.

Chlorpyrifos was sprayed all around our home perimeter and in our grass by a licensed applicator.  There were dead birds all over the yard. We stayed up all night watching our son, afraid he might choke to death.

The next exposure was by another licensed applicator.  He sprayed the home for termites and then while he was at it sprayed all over for spiders and roaches again with chlorpyrifos. Our exposures were caused by licensed applicators. We had no idea of the risks involved. Ordinary people do not read the "fine print" and the applicators do not want to scare off their business by telling the customers of the risks.   Even so, the chronic long term exposures haven't been studied and especially the risks to the developing nervous systems of children.

There is no acceptable risk when you are talking about our precious children's lives.  No amount of money could compensate for the pain and suffering my son has endured.  How many other children are out there with the same symptoms and the parents have no idea what happened. How many children will develop Attention Deficit Disorder or Asthma or Autism before we start protecting our children!

Many common ordinary average people that I encounter tell me Dursban is perfectly safe because you can buy it over the counter at Walmart.  I have seen neighbors spray with their children beside them and one neighbor even had his infant daughter crawling beside him on his deck while he sprayed. They think that if a little is good then a lot is even better.  The EPA must protect the children from Dursban.  Children can not "just say no" to pesticide exposure so WE must protect them.  Please, I urge you to take Chlorpyrifos off the market for any uses in or around the home or in or around schools! Children should not be exposed to Chloryprifos!

I also would like to see an extension on the comment period because of the untimeliness of the deadline with Christmas, New Years and Y2K conflicts. I would hate to think people weren't given all the possible opportunities to make their comments.  I hope this extension request will also be given serious consideration.

Sincerely,
Sue C.
Missouri