It was only a few weeks ago, that the Australian Federal Court released is decision relating to a class action relating to the health impact of glyphosate with another case pending. Within a matter of weeks of the Federal Court Decision, the US EPA announced the suspension of all registrations for Dacthal or DCPA herbicides. The US EPA cited the citing possible irreversible damage it could cause to unborn children as the reason for the immediate suspension. The NZ EPA is currently reviewing the use of Dacthal or DCPA herbicides are used to control annual grasses and broadleaf weeds in vegetable growing globally . This review has come after the US EPA has announced immediate suspension of all registrations for Dacthal or DCPA herbicides, citing possible irreversible damage it could cause to unborn children.
It seems that the 'legal beagles' are already circling in respect of a possible class action by encouraging residents "who live near where Dacthal or DCPA was used or if you worked with the product and your child was born with birth injuries, we want to hear from you. The more people who share their stories with our firm, the more information we can use to prepare potential lawsuits – or a class action lawsuit against AMVAC Chemical Corp".
It seems to me that the chemistry world is in for another rollercoaster ride of lawsuits, research, claims and counter claims, class actions and potentially multi-million dollar payouts.
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Lisa Stevens
Principal OHS Consultant
Lisa J Stevens And Associates
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