EPA bans use of herbicide DCPA citing serious health impacts

The Environmental Protection Agency is immediately suspending the use of a weed killer used on common crops like broccoli and onions. It cited links to serious health impacts on fetuses, including impaired brain development, low birth weight, impaired motor skills and more.

In a statement, one EPA administrator called the herbicide, known as DCPA, “so dangerous that it needs to be removed from the market immediately.” So why did it take the EPA 15 years longer than the European Union to ban the chemical?

Host Scott Tong talks to Alexis Temkin, senior toxicologist with the Environmental Working Group.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.