For the first time in nearly 40 years, the Environmental Protection Agency issued an emergency order on Tuesday to suspend use of the pesticide dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate, also known as DCPA and Dacthal. “DCPA is so dangerous it needs to be removed from the market immediately,” said Michael Freedhoff, an EPA chemical safety official.
Dacthal is a pesticide used mainly to control weeds in crops such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and onions. The EPA acted while the chemical was undergoing a periodic review, required by law. AMVAC Chemical Corp. is the sole manufacturer of Dacthal.
The agency said Dacthal could cause changes to fetal thyroid hormone levels in pregnant women that were “generally linked to low birth weight, impaired brain development, decreased IQ, and impaired motor skills later in life, some of which may be irreversible.”