AGs Blast EPA for Downgrading Common Pesticide’s Cancer Risk (1)

A coalition of eight attorneys general is criticizing the EPA for minimizing the risk of cancer in an assessment of a widely used pesticide.

The group faulted the Environmental Protection Agency in a comment letter submitted to Regulations.gov on Monday for its new draft risk assessment for 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D), which recently downgraded its cancer rating from “likely to be a carcinogen to humans” to “suggestive evidence of carcinogenic potential.”

The pesticide, produced by Corteva Agriscience and sold under the Telone brand, is a pre-planting soil fumigant used to control insects, nematodes, and other organisms that threaten crops such as potatoes, ...