The Nation - News from June 12, 1988

The Environmental Protection Agency said the last two makers of a weedkiller that can cause birth defects must stop selling it but the agency will allow short-term continued use on some food products in three Northwestern states. The EPA said it had reached settlement with Cedar Chemical Corp. and Drexel Chemical Co., both near Memphis, Tenn., that lets them sell their existing stock of the herbicide dinoseb for use this year on dry peas, lentils, chickpeas and green peas in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The remaining stock may be used in 1988 and 1989 on berries in Washington and Oregon. EPA Administrator Lee M. Thomas decided to allow the limited continued use even though it can cause birth defects and poses a hazard to men’s ability to have children, EPA spokesman Al Heier said. There is no substitute herbicide to treat weeds affecting certain plants in the Northwest, Heier said.