2,4-D herbicide 'possibly' causes cancer in humans

[super55]

Wasn't DDT banned because it persisted in the environment, causing lots of problems, including animal birth defects for many years after the application?. It killed off pollinator insects necessary for crops production, for years. Thus creating a commercial reason for banning it.

You are right DDT was banned in the US due to it's long persistence in the soil and runoff into lakes not due to it's "possible" carcinogenic properties. It was almost the sole reason bald eagles almost went extinct in the lower 48 due to creating soft egg shells for the birds. It was transmitted from the fish to the eagles.

I'm glad the stuff is no longer used but it did have some positive notes. It is one the main reasons why malaria is not an issue in the N. America. People can say what they want but pretty much everyone will agree it was an extremely effective pesticide.

 

[tjkadar]

You are right DDT was banned in the US due to it's long persistence in the soil and runoff into lakes not due to it's "possible" carcinogenic properties. It was almost the sole reason bald eagles almost went extinct in the lower 48 due to creating soft egg shells for the birds. It was transmitted from the fish to the eagles.

I'm glad the stuff is no longer used but it did have some positive notes. It is one the main reasons why malaria is not an issue in the N. America. People can say what they want but pretty much everyone will agree it was an extremely effective pesticide.

That is why it was banned. But the science was done poorly and came to the wrong conclusions. DDT was not the cause of soft egg shells in birds. Facts versus fears - DDT and The True Story of DDT A more likely culprit is PCBs.

 

[dave1949]

This appears to be a decent overview of DDT toxicity. The thinning egg shells due to DDT is questionable but DDT has other issues (bio-accumulation, persistence, aquatic insects and fish) that would cause it to be banned or extremely limited in use.

DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane)

 

[super55]

I stand corrected. The things you can learn on TBN.

 

[turnkey4099]

Cancer has been doing a pretty good job both educating and scaring the general public. Its normal to be afraid of the unknown threat that will cut you (or friends or loved ones) down to an early grave. Educating the public to NOT be scared is what the producers and sellers tend to do because they want to sell the stuff. NOW.

47 million pounds of 2,4-D are spread across the countryside ( USA alone! ) every year. It's a big market and Dow wants to spread 47 million pounds across the USA in 2015 too, and 2016 and on. Maybe more and certainly not less.

No surprises here.

That it might take generations for mankind to adjust to a chemical in the food supply it's worthwhile to consider that people may become resistant to 2,4-D if it is a permanent part of our food supply. We have a few generations under our belt, maybe in a few more generations all those who can't tolerate the chemical will have died out.

If another chemical de-thrones 2,4-D then we actually have to start anew, in assessing whether people can tolerate it (over the generations). Also whatever chemical is used in place of 2,4-D may be worse than 2,4-D.

Creating and dumping billions of pounds across the countryside is a slippery slope.

And not doing it will do what to the food supply? Your argument applies to almost anything a farmer does.

Harry K

 

[foreman Etexas]

I spray 2-4D and several other pesticides/herbicides but I do wear rubber gloves and make sure don't get it on me. I spray in a cab tractor and don't spray when wind is high. I don't worry about the cancer but I don't have to get it on me and be exposed to it over and over,cause know telling what the effects could be.

 

[Old Junk Man]

I don't use expensive poisons of any sort. I simply graze the weed,s with sheep goats & cattle or mow them. Of course my fence rows are overgrown almost like a hedge. good places for birds & wildlife to live. My garden is all organic fertilized by compost & rabbit & goat manure. the thistle gets a squirt of gasoline at the base and dies. My corn feld gets a single pass with the cultivator when its about a foot high. I let the weeds and grass grow. after the corn is picked I mow and bale it. then its fed on the same ground it was baled on. returning the organic material back to the same land.

 

[davesl708]

It amazes me the most popular products are the ones that suddenly are toxic. Seems if you cannot beat your competition with a better product you get a research firm to declare it toxic.

 

[dave1949]

I don't use expensive poisons of any sort. I simply graze the weed,s with sheep goats & cattle or mow them. Of course my fence rows are overgrown almost like a hedge. good places for birds & wildlife to live. My garden is all organic fertilized by compost & rabbit & goat manure. the thistle gets a squirt of gasoline at the base and dies. My corn feld gets a single pass with the cultivator when its about a foot high. I let the weeds and grass grow. after the corn is picked I mow and bale it. then its fed on the same ground it was baled on. returning the organic material back to the same land.

My hat's off to you for living with nature rather than trying to beat it into submission. This is a similar experience with some of the same techniques you use:

One Weird Trick to Fix Farms Forever | Mother Jones

"Our cover crops work together like a community—you have several people helping instead of one, and if one slows down, the others kind of pick it up," he says. "We're trying to mimic Mother Nature." Cover crops have helped Brandt slash his use of synthetic fertilizers and herbicides. Half of his corn and soy crop is flourishing without any of either; the other half has gotten much lower applications of those pricey additives than what crop consultants around here recommend.

But Brandt's not trying to go organic—he prefers the flexibility of being able to use conventional inputs in a pinch. He refuses, however, to compromise on one thing: tilling. Brandt never, ever tills his soil. Ripping the soil up with steel blades creates a nice, clean, weed-free bed for seeds, but it also disturbs soil microbiota and leaves dirt vulnerable to erosion. The promise of no-till, cover-crop farming is that it not only can reduce agrichemical use, but also help keep the heartland churning out food—even as extreme weather events like drought and floods become ever more common.

Mr. Brandt also keeps some cattle, chickens and hogs but not in large production numbers. The entire article is worth a read. As the author says, Brandt's farm is a bit like stepping back into the farming past with some changes that reflect what is known about soil health now.

I can't help but think that discussing the merits of which herbicides or pesticides are less dangerous is the wrong discussion--we will always end up with some danger to human health and environmental impacts given the extent of use. The beneficial discussion would be about how to absolutely minimize chemical dependencies in food production.

Another soil-related challenge is the rate of topsoil erosion. In Iowa that rate is estimated to be 15 to 30 times the rate of soil building replacement. I have heard farmers say that in reality they are selling their farm soil by the bushel. Winter cover crops, adding grazing into the rotation are seen to be good solutions.
Iowa Is Getting Sucked Into Scary Vanishing Gullies | Mother Jones

 

[Old Junk Man]

I watched my dad fight with his farm for 50 years . Over graze and spend dollars on fertilizer and chemicals. He simply swapped nickles had to take outside jobs to support the farm. I see my neighbors pour fertilizer$$$$ out on the ground. the spray$$$$ to kill the buttercups. My fields don't grow the buttercups? I actually make a profit! No fancy equiptment no morgage no bank note. When you sell grain or hay you are selling your top soil. When you use chemical fertilizer & sprays your just treating the symptoms not addressing the cause. We grow about 80% of what we eat. Im not trying to tell anyone what they ought to do. Think and do whatever you wish. You the one who has to live with the results of your thoughts & actions.