Pesticide caused kids’ brain damage, California lawsuits say

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Lawsuits in California are seeking potential class-action damages from Dow Chemical and its successor company over a widely used bug killer linked to brain damage in children. Chlorpyrifos is approved for use on more than 80 crops like oranges, berries, grapes and almonds. California banned sales of the pesticide last year. Some other states, including New York, have moved to ban it. The lawsuits filed Monday together allege that at least 100,000 homes in the nation’s largest agricultural state may need to toss out everything from sofas to teddy bears because they are contaminated with the pesticide. The company has said it believes the product is safe.