EPA issues emergency order to halt use of dangerous pesticide

 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an emergency order Tuesday to remove from the market a pesticide linked to fetal damage, its first such action in nearly four decades.

In a statement, the EPA said exposure to the pesticide, dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate, also known DCPA or dacthal, can affect fetal thyroid hormone levels. These changes are in turn associated with lower birth weights and impairments to brain development and motor skills.

The EPA’s risk assessment, which the agency released in May 2023, estimates that handling DCPA products while pregnant could expose fetuses to between four and 20 times the chemical level considered safe. Environments where the pesticide has already been applied may be similarly risky, particularly for agricultural workers doing work such as weeding or harvesting in areas where it has been applied.

DCPA is primarily used for weed control for crops, including cabbage, onions and broccoli. The EPA made the decision at a time when DCPA is up for its registration review, a process all pesticides must undergo every 15 years under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act...more