EPA cancels pesticide shown to be harmful to unborn babies

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.

The EPA action comes after years of research and smaller moves 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.

In August, the EPA issued an “emergency suspension” of the chemical, marking the first time in almost 40 years the agency took such an emergency action. The agency said that, following the suspension, it received a letter from AMVAC Chemical Corporation, the sole manufacturer of DCPA, stating its intent to voluntarily cancel pesticide products containing DCPA sold in the US. AMVAC later said it would also cancel all international registrations.  

The EPA cancellation prohibits anyone from distributing or selling DCPA pesticide products and bars anyone from using existing supplies. 

(Featured photo by Jordan González for Unsplash+)