Baby Safety / Compounds / Dicamba

Is Dicamba safe for babies and kids?

Elevated risk for kids

(Babies-specific data is limited; this page draws from human pregnant context.) Prenatal exposure to Dicamba is a concern due to potential endocrine disruption and developmental toxicity. Agricultural communities show higher gestational exposure through drinking water.

What is dicamba?

The IUPAC name is 3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid.

Also known as: 3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid, Mdba, Banvel, Dianat.

IUPAC name
3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid
CAS number
1918-00-9
Molecular formula
C8H6Cl2O3
Molecular weight
221.03 g/mol
SMILES
COC1=C(C=CC(=C1C(=O)O)Cl)Cl
PubChem CID
3030

Risk for babies

Elevated risk

Prenatal exposure to Dicamba is a concern due to potential endocrine disruption and developmental toxicity. Agricultural communities show higher gestational exposure through drinking water.

Suspected reproductive toxicant (GHS H361) or suspected endocrine disruptor. Precautionary approach warranted. Animal studies or limited human data suggest developmental toxicity potential.

What to do: Minimize exposure during pregnancy and lactation. Consult healthcare provider regarding specific risks. Consider alternative products with lower hazard profiles.

Risk for pregnant and nursing people

Elevated risk

Prenatal exposure to Dicamba is a concern due to potential endocrine disruption and developmental toxicity. Agricultural communities show higher gestational exposure through drinking water.

Suspected reproductive toxicant (GHS H361) or suspected endocrine disruptor. Precautionary approach warranted. Animal studies or limited human data suggest developmental toxicity potential.

What to do: Minimize exposure during pregnancy and lactation. Consult healthcare provider regarding specific risks. Consider alternative products with lower hazard profiles.

Regulatory consensus

7 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Dicamba. The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EPA CTX / EPA OPP—Group D Not Classifiable as to Human Carcinogenicity
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: negative (Ames: negative, 2 positive / 3 negative reports)
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: negative (Ames: negative, 2 positive / 3 negative reports)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Eye Irritation: Eye Dam. 1 (score: very high)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Eye Irritation: Category 8.3A (Category 1) (score: very high)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Skin Irritation: Category 6.3A (Category 2) (score: high)
US_EPA2024registered_restrictedEPA registered with drift-reduction restrictions.

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where kids encounter dicamba

  • Industrial Facilities — Manufacturing plants, Chemical storage areas, Waste treatment sites
  • Occupational Environments — Factories, Warehouses, Transportation vehicles

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Dicamba:

  • Physical/mechanical pest control (IPM)
    Trade-offs: More labor-intensive. May not be sufficient for severe infestations.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Clopyralid (more targeted)
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Organic lawn care
    Relative cost: 2-5× conventional
  • Mechanical removal
    Relative cost: Lower (ingredient elimination)

Frequently asked questions

What products contain dicamba?

Dicamba appears in: Manufacturing plants (Industrial facilities); Chemical storage areas (Industrial facilities); Factories (Occupational environments); Warehouses (Occupational environments).

Why do regulators disagree about dicamba?

Dicamba has been classified by 7 agencies including EPA CTX / EPA OPP, EPA CTX / Genetox, EPA CTX / Genetox, EPA CTX / Skin-Eye, EPA CTX / Skin-Eye, with differing conclusions. Regulators apply different standards of evidence (animal data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds), which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. See the regulatory consensus table on this page for the full picture.

See Dicamba in the baby app

Look up products containing dicamba, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in baby View raw API data

Sources (2)
  1. US EPA: Dicamba Registration Review — Risk Assessment, Group D Carcinogenicity, Aquatic Life Risk, and Label Requirements (2016–2020) (2020) — regulatory
  2. US EPA: Dicamba Off-Target Movement and Volatility — 2017–2019 Drift Investigations, Label Amendments, and Application Restrictions (2019) — regulatory

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →