Concerned about developing babies, EPA warns about danger of weed killer used on farms, golf courses
Citing “significant health risks to pregnant individuals
and their developing babies,” the agency said farmworkers and others handling
dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate, more commonly known as DCPA, were at risk,
as are people who might play on courses or fields recently sprayed with the
pesticide.
The most serious risks extend to the developing babies of pregnant women, especially those handling DCPA products.
The agency said pregnant women exposed to DCPA could experience changes to fetal thyroid hormone levels, which are linked to low birth weight, impaired brain development, decreased IQ, and impaired motor skills later in life.
Though product labels say people should stay out of fields for 12 hours after they are sprayed with DCPA, the EPA said evidence indicates that in many cases, sprayed fields would be unsafe for 25 days or more.
The agency additionally
said that mothers and their developing babies could be at risk if they live
near areas where DCPA is used because the pesticide can drift.
“EPA has determined that currently registered products containing the herbicide DCPA likely cannot be used under current label directions without posing serious risks of concern in humans,” Ed Messina, director of the Office of Pesticide Programs, stated in a letter to AMVAC, a California-based company that is the sole manufacturer of the pesticide.
The product is primarily used to control weeds on crops
such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and onions. Last year, AMVAC agreed to end its use on turf,
citing health concerns.
The EPA is currently reviewing whether to reapprove DCPA.
Though the agency rarely takes the step of canceling a pesticide, it is
considering that route, including suspending DCPA during review process, the
agency said.
“Due to the serious potential risks posed by DCPA use,
EPA will be pursuing these regulatory options as soon as practicable,” Messina
wrote in the communication to AMVAC.
AMVAC proposed mitigations,
including making DCPA a Restricted Use Pesticide, meaning only certified
handlers can use it, removing powder formulations from the market, reducing
maximum application rates, prohibiting aerial and hand-held application,
increasing buffer zones, and requiring maximum Personal Protective
Equipment.
However, the EPA said these do not go far enough and
would still pose a risk to people.
“DCPA exposure represents a serious risk to pregnant
workers and their children, so it’s imperative that we warn people about those
risks now,” Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and
Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff said in a news release. “We’re committed
to taking action to protect the health of children, workers, and others who are
exposed to DCPA.”
Critics noted that the EPA has been pushing AMVAC
for more than a decade for
scientific evidence of DCPA safety and said it should be banned in the US, as
it has been in the European Union since 2009.
“The EPA’s own conclusions and the overwhelming
scientific evidence underscore the ongoing risks of the toxic pesticide DCPA,”
said Environmental Working Group senior toxicologist Alexis
Temkin. “As long as DCPA continues to be legal, the chemical
will continue to pose real dangers to farmworkers, people who are pregnant and
other vulnerable populations exposed to it.”
EWG research has
found that up to 200,000 pounds of DCPA has been sprayed during some years in
the large farming state of California.