California AG Filed Comments Criticizing EPA’s Deficient Risk Assessment of Dangerous Herbicide

JULY 12, 2019

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) condemning the agency’s failure to adequately evaluate the risks associated with 2,4-DP-p, a weed killer commonly used in residential and commercial landscaping, as well as on golf courses and along public roadsides and sidewalks. In the comments, AG Becerra noted that the EPA failed to consider the cumulative impacts to human health and the environment of exposure to 2,4-DP-p along with related herbicides, including a group of highly similar compounds called 2,4-D and 2,4-DB. Studies indicate that 2,4-DP-p may be highly toxic for larval honeybees, a keystone species in ecosystems throughout California — a significant cause for concern given that 2,4-D has also been found to harm bees. AG Becerra emphasized that a sufficient analysis of the impacts of 2,4-DP-p must consider the cumulative impacts of all herbicides that may have additive toxicities.