For the first time in decades, the EPA issued an emergency action to move weedkiller off the market

Farm workers can be unaware of Dactha's
use on fields. (Adobe Stock photo)

The popular weedkiller, Dactha, has been removed from U.S. sales floors by the Environmental Protection Agency, which issued an "emergency suspension of DCPA, citing a serious risk to pregnant women and their unborn babies," reports CNN News. Dactha is mostly used as an herbicide to tame weeds in crops such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale and onions.

Exposure to DCPA (Dimethyl Tetrachloroterephthalate) can cause fetal thyroid hormone disruption, which can permanently harm an unborn baby's normal development. The National Archives Federal Register reports, "The downstream effects of such hormone [disruptions] in the fetus may include low birth weight and irreversible and life-long impacts to children exposed in-utero, such as impaired brain development and motor skills."

Dactha's maker, AMVAC Chemical Corporation, worked to address the EPA's concerns; however, the "EPA has determined that there is no combination of practicable mitigations under which DCPA use can continue without presenting an imminent hazard," the Federal Register reports. According to CNN, the EPA noted that DCPA may be considered unsafe for 25 days or more after application.

This is the first time in almost 40 years the EPA has taken this type of emergency action. Michal Freedhoff, the assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, noted that "pregnant women who may never even know they were exposed could give birth to babies that experience irreversible lifelong health problems."