Chlorpyrifos, an insecticide widely used in central Illinois, was scheduled to become a banned substance in the spring. That ban was rescinded by the Trump administration, so this neurotoxin can still be used on agriculture crops, golf courses and road medians.
Chlorpyrifos is a nerve agent that damages the brains of children and also kills insects.
A columnist with The New York Times calls chlorpyrifos “Dow Chemical Company’s Nerve Gas Pesticide.” Here is a link to that column by Nicholas Kristof:
Here is a link to an article by Clare Howard that ran in 100Reporters about chlorpyrifos drift in central Illinois:
https://100r.org/2012/02/pitchfork-rebels-organic-farmers-take-on-big-agriculture/