Australia Issues Emergency Ban on 12 Pesticides Containing DCPA, Citing Serious Health Threats

Recently, the Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicine Authority (APVMA) officially announced that it has completely abolished all pesticide products containing DCPA (that is, dimethyl tetrachloropterephthalate, also known as dioxol). This move follows the urgent DCPA ban issued by the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and demonstrates the APVMA's deep concern for human health and safety and its firm position to align with international safety standards.

DCPA is a herbicide widely used in vegetable, lawn and cotton fields, with a total of 12 related products in circulation in the Australian market. The APVMA took swift and decisive action to withdraw these products after assessing that there was a risk of immediate and serious harm to public health. The CEO of the APVMA made it clear that the agency has the statutory authority to take immediate action to remove products and ban their continued circulation if it finds that they pose a direct and imminent threat to human health, and to require individuals or institutions that already possess these products to immediately stop using them.

It is important to note that the APVMA's decision does not set any transition or phase-out period, but rather a direct and comprehensive phase-out of all products containing DCPA to emphasize the importance of human health risks. The APVMA believes that the continued use of these products may cause irreparable harm to pregnant women and their unborn babies.

For now, farmers and retailers can keep the DCPA products they have purchased, subject to strict compliance with the APVMA's ban on any form of use until further notice. APVMA will issue specific requirements regarding product recall and subsequent treatment as soon as possible. As of today, it is illegal to use DCPA as an agricultural chemical in Australia.

Below is a list of some of the products affected by the ban and their registration numbers:

* DCPA (Dimethyl tetrachloropterephthalate, Dioxol) -59137

* Imtrade Pterodactyl 900 WG Pre-Emergence Herbicide - 65212

* KDPC Prethal 750WG Herbicide - 67445

* Novaguard Chlorthal 750 WG Herbicide - 68349

* Ezycrop Chlorthal 750 WG Herbicide - 69085

* Farmalinx Dynamo 750 Herbicide - 69626

* AC Discord 750WG Herbicide - 69680

* MacPhersons Chlorthal 900WG Herbicide - 81334

* Lawthal 750WG Herbicide - 83116

* Hemani Chlorthal 750 WG Herbicide - 85327

* TitanChlorthal 900WG Pre-Emergence Herbicide - 88705

* Dacthal 900 WG Pre-Emergence Herbicide - 93154