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<h1 style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:15.0pt;margin-left:0in">
<i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black;font-weight:normal">EPA is warning people of the significant health risks to pregnant individuals and their developing babies exposed to DCPA. The following is the article describing
EPA’s steps to address risks.</span></i><i><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black;font-weight:normal"><o:p></o:p></span></i></h1>
<h1 style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:15.0pt;margin-left:0in">
<span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">EPA Warns Farmworkers about Risks of Dacthal
<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="mso-margin-top-alt:6.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in">
<strong><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">WASHINGTON</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black"> — Today, April 1, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing
its next steps to protect people from the herbicide dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA, or Dacthal). EPA is warning people of the significant health risks to pregnant individuals and their developing babies exposed to DCPA and will be pursuing action
to address the serious, permanent, and irreversible health risks associated with the pesticide as quickly as possible. EPA has also issued a
<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWJzY3JpYmVyX2lkIjoiMTAwNTY3ODExMSIsImJ1bGxldGluX2xpbmtfaWQiOiIxMTIiLCJ1cmkiOiJicDI6ZGlnZXN0IiwibGlua19pZCI6IjQ5MzUyMDIxMTEiLCJidWxsZXRpbl9pZCI6IjIwMjQwNDAxLjkyNjk0MDUxIiwidXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmVndWxhdGlvbnMuZ292L2RvY3VtZW50L0VQQS1IUS1PUFAtMjAxMS0wMzc0LTAxMTIiLCJlbWFpbCI6Implbm55d2ViZXJAZW1haWwuYXJpem9uYS5lZHUifQ.ZmDgB_Pb3di9ZuJW6thOQhjrxqbw-NElbqPo65tyPig" target="_blank">
<span style="color:#0A528F">letter</span></a> to AMVAC, the sole manufacturer of DCPA, restating the risks the agency found and stating that due to the serious risks posed by DCPA, the agency is pursuing further action to protect workers and others who could
be exposed. EPA is taking this rare step of warning farmworkers about these concerns while it works on actions to protect workers because of the significant risks the agency has identified.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="mso-margin-top-alt:6.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in">
<span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black;background:aqua;mso-highlight:aqua">“DCPA exposure represents a serious risk to pregnant workers and their children, so it’s imperative that we warn people about those risks now,”
<strong><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">said Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff</span></strong>. “We’re committed to taking action to protect the health of children, workers,
and others who are exposed to DCPA.”</span><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="mso-margin-top-alt:6.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in">
<span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">DCPA is an herbicide 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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="mso-margin-top-alt:6.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in">
<span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">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 May 2023, EPA released its assessment on the risks of occupational and residential exposure to products containing DCPA, after the agency reviewed data that it compelled AMVAC to submit, which had been overdue for almost
10 years. The assessment found concerning evidence of health risks associated with DCPA use and application, even when personal protective equipment and engineering controls are used.
<u><span style="background:aqua;mso-highlight:aqua">The most serious risks extend to the developing babies of pregnant individuals.</span></u> EPA estimates that some pregnant individuals handling DCPA products could be subjected to exposures from four to 20
times greater than what current DCPA product label use instructions indicate is considered safe.
<u><span style="background:aqua;mso-highlight:aqua">EPA is concerned that pregnant women exposed to DCPA 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.</span><o:p></o:p></u></span></p>
<p style="mso-margin-top-alt:6.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in">
<span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black;background:aqua;mso-highlight:aqua">Also of concern are risks to developing babies of pregnant individuals entering or working in areas where DCPA has already been applied</span><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">
<span style="background:aqua;mso-highlight:aqua">(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 the previously treated fields remained at unsafe levels for 25 days or more. EPA also identified potential risks for individuals using golf courses and athletic fields after DCPA
was applied. Spray drift from pesticide application could also put developing babies at risk for pregnant individuals living near areas where DCPA is used.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="mso-margin-top-alt:6.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in">
<span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">Since the release of EPA’s 2023 assessment,
<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWJzY3JpYmVyX2lkIjoiMTAwNTY3ODExMSIsImJ1bGxldGluX2xpbmtfaWQiOiIxMDciLCJ1cmkiOiJicDI6ZGlnZXN0IiwibGlua19pZCI6IjQ5MzUyMDIxMzMiLCJidWxsZXRpbl9pZCI6IjIwMjQwNDAxLjkyNjk0MDUxIiwidXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmVndWxhdGlvbnMuZ292L2RvY3VtZW50L0VQQS1IUS1PUFAtMjAxMS0wMzc0LTAxMTMiLCJlbWFpbCI6Implbm55d2ViZXJAZW1haWwuYXJpem9uYS5lZHUifQ.SRNTHG_CsLE70_PNiSpVw1eS0q9Hzm7x34k4sON8zsw" target="_blank">
<span style="color:#0A528F">AMVAC has proposed several changes</span></a> to the DCPA registrations, including the recent cancelation of all DCPA products registered for use on turf. Those cancelations eliminate exposures to DCPA from recreational activities
on and around turf. However, according to EPA’s analysis, other proposals submitted by AMVAC do not adequately address the serious health risks for people who work with and around DCPA. EPA is therefore preparing to take further action under the Federal Insecticide,
Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) as quickly as possible to protect people from the risks of DCPA.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="mso-margin-top-alt:6.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in">
<span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">When serious risks are identified, EPA can take action under FIFRA to suspend or cancel a pesticide. These actions are resource-intensive and take time to implement, partly due to
the procedural requirements of FIFRA. A cancelation proceeding would take at least several months (if uncontested by the registrant), and potentially several years to accommodate a potential administrative hearing and any subsequent appeal of an order of cancelation
(if the registrant contests the action). FIFRA also allows EPA to seek a suspension of a pesticide product while cancelation proceedings are ongoing if the Administrator determines it is necessary to prevent an imminent hazard. An administrative hearing and
final order on a suspension proceeding (if the action is contested) would likely take several months to conclude. However, the Administrator may also issue an order of suspension—effective immediately on issuance—if he determines that an emergency exists such
that an administrative hearing cannot be held before suspending. Any final order of suspension would remain in effect until cancelation proceedings end. EPA is considering these tools as it moves forward with the DCPA registration review, but in light of the
serious risks posed by DCPA, chose to warn the public of them at this time as it continues its work.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="mso-margin-top-alt:6.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in">
<strong><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">Background on EPA’s Review of DCPA </span></strong><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="mso-margin-top-alt:6.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in">
<span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">In 2013, the agency issued a Data Call-In (DCI) to AMVAC, requiring it to submit more than 20 studies to support the existing registrations of DCPA. The data required by EPA included
a comprehensive study of the effects of DCPA on thyroid development and function in adults and in developing babies before birth. Several of the studies submitted by AMVAC from 2013-2021 were considered insufficient to address the DCI, while the thyroid study
and other studies were not submitted at all. In <a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWJzY3JpYmVyX2lkIjoiMTAwNTY3ODExMSIsImJ1bGxldGluX2xpbmtfaWQiOiIxMDgiLCJ1cmkiOiJicDI6ZGlnZXN0IiwibGlua19pZCI6IjMwNjAwMzI3NzciLCJidWxsZXRpbl9pZCI6IjIwMjQwNDAxLjkyNjk0MDUxIiwidXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZXBhLmdvdi9wZXN0aWNpZGVzL2VwYS1pc3N1ZXMtbm90aWNlLWludGVudC1zdXNwZW5kLWhlcmJpY2lkZS1kY3BhIiwiZW1haWwiOiJqZW5ueXdlYmVyQGVtYWlsLmFyaXpvbmEuZWR1In0.4wsG4qYkZhqSZZIEWralctOD9z7xJ4o2qCpnRp0YYzI" target="_blank">
<span style="color:#0A528F">April 2022</span></a>, EPA issued a 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
data on DCPA’s thyroid toxicity. On Aug. 22, 2023, the agency suspended the registration for the DCPA technical-grade product, a rare but necessary step given AMVAC’s delay in providing the data EPA requested nearly a decade before. In November 2023 the suspension
was lifted after AMVAC submitted sufficient data. DCPA use on <a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWJzY3JpYmVyX2lkIjoiMTAwNTY3ODExMSIsImJ1bGxldGluX2xpbmtfaWQiOiIxMDkiLCJ1cmkiOiJicDI6ZGlnZXN0IiwibGlua19pZCI6IjQ5MzUyMDIxMzQiLCJidWxsZXRpbl9pZCI6IjIwMjQwNDAxLjkyNjk0MDUxIiwidXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmVndWxhdGlvbnMuZ292L2RvY3VtZW50L0VQQS1IUS1PUFAtMjAyMy0wMDc0LTAwMDYiLCJlbWFpbCI6Implbm55d2ViZXJAZW1haWwuYXJpem9uYS5lZHUifQ.2i9tBloi9Irbyi1QbKvdxV3eHzNNi7B6I5Ru43p_jMI" target="_blank">
<span style="color:#0A528F">turf was voluntarily canceled</span></a> by AMVAC in December 2023, but unacceptable risks from agricultural use remained. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="mso-margin-top-alt:6.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in">
<span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">Supporting documents are available in the DCPA registration review docket
<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWJzY3JpYmVyX2lkIjoiMTAwNTY3ODExMSIsImJ1bGxldGluX2xpbmtfaWQiOiIxMTAiLCJ1cmkiOiJicDI6ZGlnZXN0IiwibGlua19pZCI6IjE5OTg2MjY0MTkiLCJidWxsZXRpbl9pZCI6IjIwMjQwNDAxLjkyNjk0MDUxIiwidXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmVndWxhdGlvbnMuZ292L2RvY2tldC9FUEEtSFEtT1BQLTIwMTEtMDM3NCIsImVtYWlsIjoiamVubnl3ZWJlckBlbWFpbC5hcml6b25hLmVkdSJ9.4gIcDEIlTI9BTmq8S3FFXRGv6mo1xGscl57rRv0HCWg" target="_blank">
<span style="color:#0A528F">EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0374</span></a> on the <a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWJzY3JpYmVyX2lkIjoiMTAwNTY3ODExMSIsImJ1bGxldGluX2xpbmtfaWQiOiIxMTEiLCJ1cmkiOiJicDI6ZGlnZXN0IiwibGlua19pZCI6IjYzNzM3MTUzIiwiYnVsbGV0aW5faWQiOiIyMDI0MDQwMS45MjY5NDA1MSIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnJlZ3VsYXRpb25zLmdvdi8iLCJlbWFpbCI6Implbm55d2ViZXJAZW1haWwuYXJpem9uYS5lZHUifQ.oHVVlUH7ZbmZhtj9JmmUhjdoARQt3XlRQsj4MfRi_Uo" target="_blank">
<span style="color:#0A528F">Regulations.gov</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="mso-margin-top-alt:6.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in">
<span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:#2D1616"><a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWJzY3JpYmVyX2lkIjoiMTAwNTY3ODExMSIsImJ1bGxldGluX2xpbmtfaWQiOiIxMTIiLCJ1cmkiOiJicDI6ZGlnZXN0IiwibGlua19pZCI6IjQ5MzUyMDIxMTEiLCJidWxsZXRpbl9pZCI6IjIwMjQwNDAxLjkyNjk0MDUxIiwidXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmVndWxhdGlvbnMuZ292L2RvY3VtZW50L0VQQS1IUS1PUFAtMjAxMS0wMzc0LTAxMTIiLCJlbWFpbCI6Implbm55d2ViZXJAZW1haWwuYXJpem9uYS5lZHUifQ.ZmDgB_Pb3di9ZuJW6thOQhjrxqbw-NElbqPo65tyPig" target="_blank" title="Read EPA’s Response to AMVAC’s Mitigation Proposal"><span style="color:white;border:solid #767676 6.0pt;padding:0in;background:#767676;text-decoration:none">Read
EPA’s Response to AMVAC’s Mitigation Proposal</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Jennifer Weber<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Pesticide Safety Education Program<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Maricopa County Cooperative Extension<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">MARICOPA COUNTY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">4341 E. Broadway Road<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Phoenix, AZ 85040-8807<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Office: (602) 827-8222<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><a href="mailto:jennyweber@arizona.edu"><span style="color:#0563C1">jennyweber@arizona.edu</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">extension.arizona.edu/maricopa</span></b><span style="mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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