The use of pesticides in agriculture has always meant managing a tricky balance—protecting the harvest and making sure essential produce gets to market, while guarding against the possibility that at least some of that produce carries toxic chemicals. This month, things got more complicated —at least as environmentalists see it.

On Nov. 18, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the use of the pesticide isocycloseram on golf courses, institutional settings, and decorative lawns, as well as on a host of crops, including cereal grains, dozens of types of peas and beans, tomatoes, oranges, almonds, and more. The move comes just two weeks after the agency approved another pesticide, cyclobutrifluram, for similarly wide use.

The particular problem with these pesticides is that

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