EPA is now overdue for a new wakeup call: this time on the dangers of neonicotinoids, or “neonics,” a class of pesticides that leaches through the soil and into the water, permeates the food we eat and makes its way into our bodies.

That’s why a leading group of scientists and health experts sent a letter to EPA this week, calling on the agency to fully assess the harms of neonics as required by law — particularly to pregnant women and children — and to ban needless neonic uses that threaten people and wildlife.