I am dismayed by the EPA’s recent decision to approve Enlist Duo, a weed killer that contains 2,4-D, a key ingredient in the toxic Vietnam War defoliant Agent Orange.
The EPA ignored overwhelming scientific evidence showing its harm to human health and the environment. 2,4-D has been linked to cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and reproductive problems. It is highly volatile and may cause serious damage to nearby non-GMO and organic crops, threatening serious economic losses for farmers.
With the explosion of herbicide-resistant weeds on 70,000 acres of cropland, escalating a chemical war on weeds won’t work. It will simply foster even more herbicide-resistant weeds.
We need to get out of this destructive pesticide cycle and help farmers to reduce their chemical use through other more human- and environmentally friendly agricultural practices like crop rotation, conservation tillage and cover cropping.
The EPA needs to stand up and protect public health and the environment instead of the profits of agrochemical corporations.
Judy Wiger-Grohs
Middlebury