cover plants sprayed with insecticides and pesticides

As Pullen puts it, 'These chemicals by themselves can be problematic, but when we start combining them with other toxic chemicals, we're just creating a new problem in order to solve another problem.' But when the weeds it was intended to kill also developed resistance, 2,4-D was added to make the mix more effective. Originally, plants genetically engineered to resist Roundup were sprayed with that herbicide alone. In other words, farmers can now douse their fields with high concentrations of the weed killer without worrying that it will also destroy their crops.

It is used mainly on big farms, where it is sprayed on genetically modified crops called Enlist soy and Enlist corn that have been engineered to be resistant to the poisons. Enlist Duo, as the combo is called, was already legal in several states. Environmental Protection Agency approved the combined use of 2,4-D and the popular weed killer Roundup (also known as glyphosate, a whole other-and in many ways more worrying-story when it comes to health and the environment).

But even though fetuses, infants, and children are at highest risk of these, no studies have looked directly at the effects of 2,4-D on those groups.ĭespite concerns about potential health risks, in 2014 the U.S. There are reports that 2,4-D can decrease fertility and raise the risk of birth defects. 'Our thyroid works to ensure the proper timing and development of the brain.' 'That's really important when we're thinking about development,' says Kristi Pullen, a staff scientist in NRDC's Health program. Dozens of epidemiological, animal, and laboratory studies have shown a link between 2,4-D and thyroid disorders. Laboratory studies suggest that 2,4-D can impede the normal action of estrogen, androgen, and most conclusively, thyroid hormones. More conclusive is the proof that 2,4-D falls into a class of compounds called endocrine-disrupting chemicals, compounds that mimic or inhibit the body's hormones. Nevertheless, in 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer declared 2,4-D a possible human carcinogen, based on evidence that it damages human cells and, in a number of studies, caused cancer in laboratory animals. But both of these can be caused by a number of chemicals, including dioxin, which was frequently mixed into formulations of 2,4-D until the mid-1990s.

Researchers have observed apparent links between exposure to 2,4-D and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (a blood cancer) and sarcoma (a soft-tissue cancer). Take the link between chronic exposure to 2,4-D and cancer: 'The evidence isn't clear enough to draw conclusions with confidence, but it is better to take precautions to prevent possible cancers than to wait for more evidence,' says Jennifer Sass, an NRDC senior scientist. Public health experts can't always draw a firm conclusion from studies whose methodologies are lacking in scientific rigor. It's not always easy to determine whether a particular substance is causing harm or just happens to be present when some other agent is to blame. The evidence is slowly mounting-but not yet conclusive. The problem is, the herbicide that was once considered clean and green may no longer be safe by today's standards. It's used widely in agriculture in soybean, corn, sugarcane, and wheat fields, and it turns up in most 'weed and feed' products as well as in many lawn treatments.

The pesticide, which allows not just grasses but also fruits and vegetables to flourish, can attack both the roots and leaves of weeds by making the unwanted plant's cells grow out of control-sort of like inducing cancer in the plant to kill it or drastically slow its spread.

Cover plants sprayed with insecticides and pesticides