![]() By selectively killing or suppressing reproduction of flowering plants, 2,4-D drift can change plant communities, favoring annual weeds and grasses over native plants. And it is not only crops that are injured. There is occasionally enough 2,4-D and other herbicides in rainfall to injure beans and tomatoes. 2,4-D injures grapevines an incredible 10 and even 50 miles away from the nearest sprayed field, while even supposedly "low volatility" 2,4-D sprayed on GE crops drifts to damage cotton fields. Finally, rodent studies by 2,4-D maker Dow show that long-term exposure to small amounts of 2,4-D cause kidney degeneration.Ģ,4-D has long been a leading culprit in drift damage to crops. Occupational exposure to 2,4-D and other chlorophenoxy herbicides is associated with higher rates of the immune system cancer non-Hodgkin lymphoma as well as Parkinson's disease. 2,4-D-exposed farmworkers had more sperm abnormalities and dead sperm than unexposed men, while another study correlated increasing exposure to 2,4-D with reduced testosterone levels. Disruption of thyroid hormones may also explain the smaller head circumference found in male newborns exposed to 2,4-D in utero. They were major contaminants of Agent Orange, and lower levels of dioxins are still found in some 2,4-D formulations.įarmers who apply 2,4-D have a greater risk of hypothyroidism, or deficiency of thyroid hormones that can cause joint and muscular pain, fatigue, impaired memory, and many other adverse effects, supported by similar findings in animal studies. Another 11-15 million lbs./year of 2,4-D are applied to lawns, golf courses, and in other non-agricultural settings.ĭioxins are highly toxic compounds that cause cancer, reproductive problems, and hormonal disruption. Further sharp increases in 2,4-D use are coming as more farmers plant genetically engineered (GE) soybeans, cotton, and corn resistant to both 2,4-D and glyphosate, and spray it with Enlist Duo, which contains both (Figure 2). per year, to kill glyphosate-resistant weeds spurred by the Roundup Ready crop system (Figure 1). Since the early 2000s, farm use of 2,4-D has climbed by 50%, to 50 million lbs. Projected 2,4-D use with Dow 2,4-D-resistant corn and soybeans, based on data from Dow AgroSciences (now Corteva) (right) Geological Survey, e-Pest-High (left)įig. 2,4-D kills broadleaf (flowering) plants in agriculture, primarily in pastures, corn, soybeans, wheat, and cotton.įig. Originally developed (though not used) as a chemical warfare agent in World War II, it was later deployed as part of the defoliant, Agent Orange, in the Vietnam War. 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is one of the oldest synthetic biocides.
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