Banned pesticide still used in head lice treatment

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought against The Ecology Center and two Michigan pediatricians who stood up in support of banning the dangerous chemical lindane in anti-head-lice shampoos. The lawsuit, brought by Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals, failed to silence the debate in Michigan over why a chemical banned by EPA for use as a pesticide should be approved by FDA for use in an anti-lice shampoo for kids. Lindane, a suspected carcinogen and known cause of seizures is highly volatile and can easily penetrate food and water supplies. All uses of the chemical have been banned in 52 countries and in California. The bill proposed in Michigan (House Bill 4569)--backed by the Michigan chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics and the Michigan Department of Community Health among others--would phase out all pharmaceutical uses of lindane throughout the state.

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