For the first time in 40 years, the Environmental Protection Agency has issued a ban on the sale of a weed-killing pesticide that harms the health of farmworkers, pregnant women, and even unborn babies.

The pesticide - DCPA or Dacthal is commonly used in the farming industry across the world to control weeds in plants, fruits, and vegetables – trendy and most-consumed ones like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and onions.

According to experts, DCPA can lead to various fatal and irreversible health issues in fetuses like impaired brain development, low birth weight, and thyroid imbalances. The agency says it has struggled to obtain vital health data from the pesticide's manufacturer on time and decided it was not safe to allow continued sale.

Doctors say in many cases it can even lead to infertility in women. According to various studies, the chemical is also a possible high-risk factor for cancer and liver tumours in both males and females. EPA says it has been asking the DCP manufacturers to submit data on the health of the pesticide for more than a decade before they finally complied in 2023. In April, the agency had issued a warning to the farmworkers on the "serious, permanent, and irreversible health risks" associated with the pesticide, after it was assessed that the pesticide was dangerous even if a worker wore personal protective equipment while using it.

The manufacturer had instructed people to stay off fields where the pesticide had been applied for 12 hours, but agency officials said it could linger at dangerous levels for more than a month.

DPCA is made by AMVAC Chemical Corp. which had earlier revealed new protocols to help farmworkers keep people safe. It proposed longer waiting periods before workers entered fields where the pesticide was applied and limits on how much of the chemical could be handled. According to federal officials, the company's proposed changes are not enough, and the emergency order was necessary because the normal review process would take too long and leave people at risk.

However, environmental advocates have applauded the decision. "Farmworkers should not have to put their children at risk by doing the work needed to grow our food," said Teresa Romero, president of United Farm Workers in a statement posted by Earthjustice. "EPA is taking the right step in immediately stopping the use of this pesticide."

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