Dacthal Archives

October 22, 2024

EPA cancels pesticide shown to be harmful to unborn babies

By Carey Gillam

Citing a need to protect the unborn babies of pregnant women, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Tuesday banned a pesticide used to kill weeds on farms, golf courses and athletic fields.

The action comes after years of mounting scientific evidence of the dangers posed by exposure to the chemical dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate, also known as DCPA or Dacthal.

“With the final cancellation of DCPA, we’re taking a definitive step to protect pregnant women and their unborn babies,” Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator for the EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, said in a press release. “The science showing the potential for irreversible harm to unborn babies’ developing brains, in addition to other lifelong consequences from exposure, demands decisive action to remove this dangerous chemical from the marketplace.”

The agency said “robust studies” demonstrated “thyroid toxicity,” and said that unborn babies whose pregnant mothers are exposed to DCPA could experience changes to fetal thyroid hormone levels. Such changes are “generally linked to low birth weight, impaired brain development, decreased IQ, and impaired motor skills later in life, some of which may be irreversible,” the EPA said.

DCPA was registered to control weeds in both agricultural and non-agricultural settings, but has largely been used to control weeds in fields growing crops such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage and onions.

August 6, 2024

EPA issues rare “emergency” suspension of dangerous weed killer

By Benjamin Purper

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Tuesday said it was taking the rare step of issuing an “emergency suspension” of a chemical used to kill weeds on farms, golf courses and athletic fields, citing risks to unborn children.

The pesticide dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate, known as DCPA or Dacthal, has been the subject of regulatory scrutiny for the last several years amid growing evidence of health harms from exposure.

“DCPA is so dangerous that it needs to be removed from the market immediately,” Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator for the EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, said in a press statement. “It’s EPA’s job to protect people from exposure to dangerous chemicals. In this case, pregnant women who may never even know they were exposed could give birth to babies that experience irreversible lifelong health problems.”

Freedhoff said the suspension marks the first time in almost 40 years that the agency has used its emergency suspension authority to block continued use of a pesticide.

DPCA is primarily used on crops including broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage, but it is also used in some non-agricultural settings including golf courses and athletic fields.

Today’s decision comes after years of research and smaller actions by the EPA to limit the impact of DCPA on public health. In April, the agency issued a rare warning that the pesticide posed “serious, permanent and irreversible health risks,” especially to farmworkers involved in tasks such as transplanting, weeding and harvesting after the pesticide has been applied.

The EPA said DCPA poses the highest risk to developing babies of pregnant mothers exposed to the pesticide, leading to conditions including low birth weight, impaired brain development, decreased IQ, and impaired motor skills later in life.