EPA issues rare emergency ban on pesticides that harm fetuses

For the first time in nearly 40 years, the Environmental Protection Agency has used its emergency authority to stop the sale of a weed-killing pesticide that harms the development of unborn babies.

Officials took the rare step because the pesticide DCPA, or Dacthal, could cause irreversible damage to fetuses, including impaired brain development and low birth weight. The agency struggled to obtain vital health data from the pesticide’s manufacturer in a timely manner and decided it was not safe to allow continued sale, the EPA said in an announcement Tuesday.

“In this case, pregnant women who may never know they were exposed could give birth to children who face irreversible lifelong health problems,” said Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator of the Office for EPA’s Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.

DCPA is used mostly on broccoli, cabbage and certain other crops, and about 84,000 pounds were used on average in 2018 and 2020, officials said.

In 2023, the EPA assessed the risks of the pesticide and found it to be dangerous even if a worker was wearing personal protective equipment. The manufacturer instructed people to stay out of fields where the pesticide was applied for 12 hours, but agency officials said it could persist at dangerous levels for more than 25 days.

The pesticide is produced by AMVAC Chemical Corp. The company did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday night. In comments to the EPA earlier this year, the company said the new protocols could help keep people safe. It proposed longer waiting periods before workers can enter fields where the pesticide has been applied and limits on the amount of the chemical that can be handled.

Federal officials said the company’s proposed changes are not enough. The emergency order was needed because the normal review process would take too long and put people at risk, according to the agency’s statement.

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