The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an emergency suspension for the herbicide Dacthal (DCPA or dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate) on August 6. An emergency suspension effectively halts legal application of a pesticide from the moment it is officially announced. While EPA was correct to halt use of this dangerous product, the words “emergency suspension” make it sound like new information was uncovered, which is not the case. Instead, an emergency suspension is a mechanism to circumvent processes to remove the registration of a pesticide.

According to EPA documents, exposure to DCPA can lead to changes in fetal thyroid hormones that are linked to low birth weight, impaired brain development, decreased IQ, and impaired motor skills observed later in life. Dangerous exposure levels that could cause harm are low enough that a pregnant individual could be exposed to DCPA without experiencing adverse health effects to their own body, while the fetus could experience permanent and significant lifelong adverse effects

EPA was aware of the potential carcinogenic nature of these products as early as 1995. Yet, it wasn’t until 2013 that EPA required the manufacturer of DCPA to submit further studies that showed their product to be safe for use. The manufacturer failed to provide sufficient evidence by the deadline (2016) but it wasn’t until 2022 that a Notice of Intent to Suspend was issued. In the meantime, this product continued to be used on lawns, turf applications, and food crops, exposing uncounted numbers to a dangerous product.

While the registration of DCPA for turf applications was voluntarily removed by the pesticide producer AMVAC Chemical Corporation last December, they did not volunteer to halt use on vegetable crops. EPA did issue a warning this April to the general public in relation to this product prior to this latest action. However, a warning does not prevent production and use. As a result, numerous farmworkers remained unprotected from harm as they applied the herbicide and worked in fields after this product was used on various vegetable crops.

While PAN is pleased that the emergency suspension was put into place, we are deeply disappointed in the flawed processes that delay actions that would effectively protect public health. EPA knew of the potential for harm posed by DCPA for eighteen years before taking the first step to suspend it, and then it took another ten years from that first request for more studies on DCPA to finally suspend its registration. That’s nearly three decades worth of exposure to a dangerous herbicide.

EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs makes it far too easy for big manufacturers to register new products and extremely difficult to restrict and/or remove registrations once they are granted. Currently, there are numerous highly hazardous pesticides, such as chlorpyrifos and paraquat, that have long histories of known hazards that EPA has been slow to address. This announcement about DCPA is yet another reminder that the OPP’s registration review processes take far too long to act and prioritizes Big Ag’s bottom line over public health and safety.