Re: The use of Chlorpyrifos (Dursban) by the City of Edmonton

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), along with Pesticide Free Alberta and Prevent Cancer Now, is requesting that the Federal Minister of Health intervene to stop the use of chlorpyrifos (specifically the products Pyrate and Dursban) for mosquito control in Edmonton. The organizations argue that the chemical is a "powerful developmental neurotoxicant" and that its federal re-evaluation has been "unacceptably prolonged". They suggest Vectobac as a safer bacteria-based alternative already used in cities like Grand Prairie.

• The City of Edmonton uses chlorpyrifos in both spray (Pyrate) and granular (Dursban) forms to control mosquitoes as a nuisance rather than as vectors for public health concerns like West Nile Virus.
• The federal re-evaluation of chlorpyrifos, which began in 1999, is not scheduled for completion until 2020, a timeline described by the Federal Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development as "unacceptably prolonged".
• The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) discontinued many residential uses of chlorpyrifos in 2002 and found the pesticide to be acutely toxic to mammals, birds, fish, honeybees, and aquatic invertebrates.
• Health professionals and scientists cite a 2014 US EPA Revised Human Health Risk Assessment identifying chlorpyrifos as a developmental neurotoxicant capable of causing brain damage in children at very low doses during pregnancy and early postnatal life.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (2016). Re: The use of Chlorpyrifos (Dursban) by the City of Edmonton. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/6.CAPE’s-Letter-to-Federal-Minister-of-Health-Dr.-Jane-Philpott-re-the-use-of-Chlorpyrifos-Dursban-by-the-City-of-Edmonton-February-2016.pdf#new_tab

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Re: The use of Chlorpyrifos (Dursban) by the City of Edmonton. 2016. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/6.CAPE’s-Letter-to-Federal-Minister-of-Health-Dr.-Jane-Philpott-re-the-use-of-Chlorpyrifos-Dursban-by-the-City-of-Edmonton-February-2016.pdf#new_tab.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=Re: The use of Chlorpyrifos (Dursban) by the City of Edmonton |date=12 February 2016 |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/6.CAPE’s-Letter-to-Federal-Minister-of-Health-Dr.-Jane-Philpott-re-the-use-of-Chlorpyrifos-Dursban-by-the-City-of-Edmonton-February-2016.pdf#new_tab |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironment2016use, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{Re: The use of Chlorpyrifos (Dursban) by the City of Edmonton}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2016}, month = feb, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/6.CAPE’s-Letter-to-Federal-Minister-of-Health-Dr.-Jane-Philpott-re-the-use-of-Chlorpyrifos-Dursban-by-the-City-of-Edmonton-February-2016.pdf#new_tab}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }