The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday issued an emergency order to ban the use of a weed-killing pesticide that can harm the development of unborn babies. It’s the first emergency action of its kind taken by the regulatory agency in 40 years.
The herbicide dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate, also known as DCPA or Dacthal, is used on crops such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage and onions.
According to the EPA, the pesticide can cause changes to a fetus’s thyroid hormone levels that can lead to low birth weight and impaired brain development. The move is an effort to protect pregnant farmworkers who are at greatest risk of being exposed to the pesticide, but consumers can also be affected by residue left behind on produce.
