(AGENPARL) – mar 06 agosto 2024 Issued: Aug 6, 2024 (9:00am EDT)
If you wish to unsubscribe please do so
here: http://url6130.epa.mediaroom.com/ls/click?upn=u001.iqz6hAvLdUl-2FaSixKUG3iyFJBsxNAroAZOQ1BID8fKIiLAUfJX2sQlhu1tzKAOIu-2BU84uzAzSpWvmWyHnsNJDRYXWx5dlMz75Zp9ch-2BQlG6mQHPYjReZhS13hvd5qOopmE8c_-2B0Ok6Af7hyz7Kqg6CR74pYblAA1WjrUjKSJUAiv3NOub0DC4O7JPWGxIlQ7kBB-2FSkGK0Z0lxFca8HkPVy1GRpgoF1H6lOPEcdTF-2FzB3GNURcCe1uXk7AylH2xBhVCsGWTVwEC5I2BhT86SzFKgEygdr6NlMI7l-2FBc-2BKwdDyk5LIorp0yoOosaZ2TiNpXcnxdPuJeju9gYdFlWHubGuZ2HE1f9i09LFxIDrx9F7QRBTJU8Cj9p2ilWG5QnJfBmd47
EPA Issues Emergency Order to Stop Use of Pesticide Dacthal to Address Serious
Health Risk
WASHINGTON – Today, Aug. 6, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is
announcing the emergency suspension of all registrations of the pesticide
dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA or Dacthal) under the Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). This is the first time in
almost 40 years EPA has taken this type of emergency action, following several
years of unprecedented efforts by the Biden-Harris Administration to require
the submission of long-overdue data and then assess and address the risk this
pesticide poses.
EPA has taken this action because unborn babies whose pregnant mothers are
exposed to DCPA, sometimes without even knowing the exposure has occurred,
could experience changes to fetal thyroid hormone levels, and these 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.
“DCPA is so dangerous that it needs to be removed from the market
immediately,” said Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical
Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff. “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.”
“Farmworkers face burdensome conditions in the fields and often face
exposure to harmful pesticides while working to feed our nation. I applaud the
emergency action by the EPA which prioritizes farmworker health and safety,
especially for pregnant women, by suspending this harmful chemical from our
agricultural systems. We must continue to build on this progress and
ensure all farmworkers are given the protection, worker’s rights, and
overtime pay they deserve,” said Congressman Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07).
“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
Nacional de Campesinas.
Background on DCPA and Biden-Harris Administration Efforts to Assess and
Address Risks
DCPA is a pesticide registered to control weeds in both agricultural and
non-agricultural settings, but is primarily used on crops such as broccoli,
Brussels sprouts, cabbage and onions. DCPA is currently undergoing
registration review, a process that requires reevaluating registered
pesticides every 15 years to ensure they cause no unreasonable adverse effects
on human health or the environment.
In deciding whether to issue today’s Emergency Order, EPA consulted with the
U.S. Department of Agriculture to understand how growers use DCPA and
alternatives to this pesticide. In 2013, the agency issued a Data Call-In
(DCI) to AMVAC Chemical Corporation, the sole manufacturer of DCPA, requiring
it to submit more than 20 studies to support the existing registrations of
DCPA. The required data included a comprehensive study of the effects of DCPA
on thyroid development and function in adults and in developing young before
and after birth, that was due by January 2016. Several of the studies that
AMVAC submitted from 2013-2021 were considered insufficient to address the
DCI, while the thyroid study and other studies were not submitted at all.
In April 2022, EPA issued a very rarely used Notice of Intent to Suspend the
DCPA technical-grade product (used to manufacture end-use products) based on
AMVAC’s failure to submit the complete set of required data for almost 10
years, including the thyroid study. While AMVAC submitted the required thyroid
study in August 2022, EPA suspended the registration based solely on AMVAC’s
continued failure to submit other outstanding data on Aug. 22, 2023, following
an administrative hearing.  In November 2023, the data submission suspension
was lifted after AMVAC submitted sufficient data. Most DCPA use on turf was
voluntarily canceled by AMVAC in December 2023, but unacceptable risks from
other uses remained.
In May 2023, EPA released its assessment on the risks of occupational and
residential exposure to products containing DCPA, following its analysis of
the thyroid study submitted by AMVAC. The assessment found health risks
associated with DCPA use and application, even when personal protective
equipment and engineering controls are used. The most serious risks are to the
unborn babies of pregnant individuals. EPA estimates that some pregnant
individuals handling DCPA products could be subjected to exposures four to 20
times greater than what EPA has estimated is safe for unborn babies.
Also of concern are risks to unborn babies of pregnant individuals entering or
working in areas where DCPA has already been applied (especially
post-application workers involved in tasks such as transplanting, weeding and
harvesting). Current product labels specify that entry into treated fields
must be restricted for 12 hours after application. However, the evidence
indicates that for many crops and tasks, levels of DCPA in a treated field
remain at unsafe levels for 25 days or more. Spray drift (the movement of
pesticide through the air at the time of application or soon after, to any
site other than the area intended) from pesticide application could also put
at risk the unborn babies of pregnant individuals living near areas where DCPA
is used.
Since the release of EPA’s 2023 assessment, AMVAC has proposed several
changes to the DCPA registrations, including the cancellation of DCPA
products registered for use on turf. Those cancellations practically eliminate
exposures to DCPA from recreational activities on and around turf. But
according to EPA’s analysis, AMVAC’s proposed changes to agricultural uses
of DCPA do not adequately address the serious health risks for people who work
with and around DCPA. 
In April 2024, EPA issued a public warning regarding the significant health
risks to unborn babies of pregnant individuals exposed to DCPA and its intent
to pursue action to address the serious, and in some instances, permanent, and
irreversible health risks associated with the pesticide as quickly as
possible. In a letter to AMVAC dated March 27, 2024, EPA restated the risks
the agency found and noted that the agency would be pursuing regulatory
options as soon as possible which could include cancelling the pesticide or
seeking an emergency suspension.
When serious risks are identified, EPA can take action under FIFRA to suspend
or cancel a pesticide. Taking such action is resource and time intensive,
partly due to the procedural requirements of FIFRA. A cancellation proceeding
may take at least several months (if uncontested by the registrant) or
potentially several years (if contested by the registrant, thus triggering an
administrative hearing and any subsequent appeal of a cancellation order).
FIFRA also allows EPA to seek a suspension of a pesticide product while
cancellation proceedings are ongoing if the Administrator determines it is
necessary to prevent an imminent hazard.  EPA Administrator Regan has
determined that, due to the serious and imminent harm posed by DCPA, an
emergency exists such that this order of suspension effective immediately is
necessary. EPA intends to issue a notice of intent to cancel the DCPA products
within the next 90 days.
The Emergency Order is effective immediately. EPA determined that the
continued sale and use of DCPA products during the time it would take to
follow the normal cancellation process poses an imminent hazard to unborn
babies. While AMVAC has attempted to address these concerns, EPA has
determined there are no practical mitigation measures that can be put in place
to allow DCPA’s continued use.
Additional information is available in the DCPA registration review docket
EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0374.  
Read the DCPA Emergency Order.
To unsubscribe or change your settings click here:
http://url6130.epa.mediaroom.com/ls/click?upn=u001.iqz6hAvLdUl-2FaSixKUG3iyFJBsxNAroAZOQ1BID8fKKhIILjisBDEktm3-2BIos9X6ysjWhdN7lmD9qtwJ75hk2Ko-2BVmOv957A7hVqka0y92-2FYHqobp0IMkdR73Pov2Z9F8eO-2FCdXOSgrh1Vvaf4xLHA-3D-3DJbuj_-2B0Ok6Af7hyz7Kqg6CR74pYblAA1WjrUjKSJUAiv3NOub0DC4O7JPWGxIlQ7kBB-2FSkGK0Z0lxFca8HkPVy1GRpgoF1H6lOPEcdTF-2FzB3GNUQ-2F9Sl-2BHYCGn-2BrwZaP2zYuPKmf4HY5ppBuY88G2AMxfNKBk9I6pOFMtpX-2Broxg5rGXuVCbFePVXDTdbgkBx1nPhslu61edPd-2BA04Q1396Esz5yfQNkf-2FvnujR7AzRnTuRwG85xu2NhMM8m4fTYt3ZGg