A HERBICIDE used to kill annual grasses and common weeds without killing flowers, fruits and vegetables is now banned in Australia.

Chlorthal dimethyl is used for pre-emergence weed control in certain vegetable crops including brassicas, beans, peas, garlic, onions, carrots, potatoes, turnips and for weed control in strawberries, cotton, lucerne, perennial grass crops, lawns and ornamentals.

In Australia chlorthal dimethyl is found in 12 products.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) said information on the product recall process would be issued soon.

APVMA chief executive officer Mr Scott Hansen said the decision brought Australia into alignment with international counterparts and reiterated there was no phase out period for the products due to the risk to human health.

“The APVMA considers the risk of continued use to be unacceptable as the risk of exposure cannot be effectively mitigated,’’ he said.

“The primary risk is to pregnant people’s unborn babies, particularly where those people have handled the chemical or re-entered areas where the product has been used within the last five days.

“We understand the impact that this regulatory decision will have on industry, but the safety of people is of paramount importance.”

The ban follows the recent United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) emergency order to stop use of chlorthal dimethyl (DCPA) also known as dacthal in the US.

Writing in The Conversation University of Adelaide pharmacology Senior lecturer said chlorthal dimethyl or dacthal works by inhibiting auxin, a growth hormone in plants which promotes the development of buds, roots and lengthening cells.