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Pesticide Poisoning

For the first time in roughly 40 years, the Environmental Protection Agency used its emergency authority to halt the sale of a weed-killing pesticide that harms the development of unborn babies. Officials took the rare step because the pesticide DCPA, or Dacthal, could cause irreversible damage to fetuses, including impaired brain development and low birthweight. The agency struggled to obtain vital health data from the pesticide's manufacturer on time and decided it was not safe to allow continued sale, EPA said in an announcement Tuesday. In this case, pregnant women who may never know they were exposed could give birth to babies that experience irreversible lifelong health problems, said Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. DCPA is mostly used on broccoli, cabbage and certain other crops and about 84,000 pounds were used on average in 2018 and 2020, officials said. In 2023, the EPA assessed the pesticide's risks

Updated On: 08 Aug 2024 | 7:35 AM IST

In India, pesticides are regulated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare through the Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee (CIB & RC)

Updated On: 05 May 2024 | 9:49 PM IST

If we see the records, everyday four to five patients are coming: Dean of Government Medical College, Yavatmal

Updated On: 17 Oct 2017 | 1:32 PM IST