EPA is deciding whether to allow the use of the herbicide 2,4-D for Dow Chemical’s genetically engineered “Agent Orange” corn and soybeans. Tell EPA to deny approval for these additional uses of toxic 2,4-D. 

The Environmental Protection Agency has just opened a public comment period on the approval of the use of toxic 2,4-D specifically for Dow’s GE corn and soybeans. EPA is timing their approval process with that of USDA, with both agencies proposing approval of the Dow Agent Orange, GE crop system.

Dow Chemical, the same company that brought us Dursban, Napalm, and Agent Orange, is now in the food business and is pushing for an unprecedented government approval: genetically engineered (GE) versions of corn, soybeans and cotton that are designed to survive repeated dousing with 2,4-D, half of the highly toxic chemical mixture Agent Orange. 

Agent Orange was the chemical defoliant used by the U.S. in Vietnam, and it caused lasting environmental damage as well as many serious medical conditions in both American veterans and the Vietnamese. 

Tell EPA, USDA, and President Obama to stop Dow Chemical’s “Agent Orange” crops!

Wide scale use of Roundup with Roundup Ready GE crops has already led to an epidemic of resistant weeds, and the next step in the chemical arms race is 2,4-D — a chemical linked to major health problems including cancer, Parkinson’s disease, endocrine disruption, and reproductive problems. Industry tests show that 2,4-D is contaminated with dioxins—often referred to as the most toxic substances known to science. 

EPA has reported that 2,4-D is the seventh largest source of dioxins in the U.S.  Dioxin contamination in the rivers and soil around Dow Chemical’s headquarters in Midland, Michigan has led to the highest dioxin levels ever found by the EPA in fish, and has been linked to increased breast cancer rates in the contaminated areas.

EPA’s approval would lead to a massive increase in the use of this toxic, dioxin-contaminated herbicide on our farms! 

If approved, Dow's "Agent Orange" crops will trigger a large increase in 2,4-D use--and our exposure to this toxic herbicide—yet the government has completely failed to investigate the harms such increased use would cause. This is part of a growing problem, an escalating chemical arms race going on across America’s heartland.

Dow Chemical is hyping GE 2,4-D corn, soy and cotton as the “solution” to Roundup-resistant weeds caused by GE Roundup Ready crops. But by driving up 2,4-D use, Dow’s crops will generate even more intractable weeds resistant to 2,4-D and other herbicides. This GE crop system ensures a toxic spiral of ever-increasing chemical use on our land and food, which benefits no one but Dow. 

Tell the government to reject Dow Chemical’s “Agent Orange” crops and the toxic chemicals they rely on!

For more information:

CFS’s Dow Campaign website: http://www.dow-watch.org 

EPA’s Environmental Risk Assessment of Proposed Label for Enlist (2,4-D Choline Salt), New Uses on Soybean with DAS 68416-4 (2,4-D Tolerant) and Enlist (2,4-D + Glyphosate Tolerant) Corn and Field Corn: http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0195 

USDA's draft environmental impact statement: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/brs/aphisdocs/24d_deis.pdf

CFS factsheet, "Agent Orange" Corn: The Next Stage in the Chemical Arms Race": http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/files/agent-orange-crops_fact-sheet_22481.pdf

CFS report, "Going Backwards: Dow's 2,4-D-Resistant Crops and a More Toxic Future": http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/files/fsr_24-d.pdf