The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued an emergency ban on a common weedkiller, dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate, also called DCPA or Dacthal, citing risk to unborn children whose mothers get exposed to the pesticide.

The DCPA was approved for use as a preemergence herbicide to control annual grasses and broadleaf weeds on ornamental turf and plants, strawberries, seeded and transplanted vegetables, cotton, and field beans.

In the first emergency ban in nearly 40 years, the EPA has highlighted serious risks from exposure to DCPA. The pesticide exposure could affect thyroid hormone levels in the fetus, which could lead to irreversible complications, including low birth weight, impaired brain development, decreased IQ, and impaired motor skills later in life, the agency warns.

"DCPA is so dangerous that it needs to be removed from the market immediately," Michal Freedhoff, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, said in a news release.

"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. That's why for the first time in almost 40 years, EPA is using its emergency suspension authority to stop the use of a pesticide," Freedhoff said.

According to an EPA health assessment, pregnant individuals handling DCPA products might experience exposure levels four to 20 times higher than what is deemed safe for unborn babies. Even though product labels advise restricted entry into fields for 12 hours after application, it is found that DCPA levels may remain unsafe for 25 days or more. Spray drift, which occurs at the time of application or soon after, could also put pregnant women at risk.

Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, the National Farmworkers Women's Alliance welcomed EPA's historic decision. "Alianza is pleased to see the EPA make this historic decision. As an organization led by farmworker women, we know intimately the harm that pesticides, including dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA or Dacthal), can inflict on our bodies and communities. This emergency decision is a great first step that we hope will be in a series of others that are based on listening to farmworkers, protecting our reproductive health, and safeguarding our families," said Mily Treviño Sauceda, Executive Director of Alianza.

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