"Citing a need to protect the unborn babies of pregnant women, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Tuesday banned a pesticide used to kill weeds on farms, golf courses and athletic fields.
The action comes after years of mounting scientific evidence of the dangers posed by exposure to the chemical dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate, also known as DCPA or Dacthal.
“With the final cancellation of DCPA, we’re taking a definitive step to protect pregnant women and their unborn babies,” Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator for the EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, said in a press release. “The science showing the potential for irreversible harm to unborn babies’ developing brains, in addition to other lifelong consequences from exposure, demands decisive action to remove this dangerous chemical from the marketplace.”
The agency said “robust studies” demonstrated “thyroid toxicity,” and said that unborn babies whose pregnant mothers are exposed to DCPA could experience changes to fetal thyroid hormone levels. Such changes are “generally linked to low birth weight, impaired brain development, decreased IQ, and impaired motor skills later in life, some of which may be irreversible,” the EPA said."
Carey Gillam reports for The New Lede October 22, 2024.
SEE ALSO:
"EPA Officially Cancels Products Containing Pesticide Pulled From The Market In August" (The Hill)
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