Sunday, April 29, 2012
Corn farmers are battling other farmers, as well as environmentalists, over a new strain of genetically modified corn that’s resistant to a powerful herbicide suspected of causing cancer.
At the center of the controversy is 2,4-D, a chemical used to kill weeds. Corn farmers want to use a new kind of genetically created corn, created by Dow Chemical, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture is on the verge of approving, that can withstand 2,4-D spraying.
But fruit and vegetable farmers, canners and environmental groups oppose the new corn’s approval, arguing that its use will encourage over-spraying of the 2,4-D herbicide, threaten other nearby crops and endanger human health.
The chemical may cause non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, hormone disruption and other health problems, according to opponents.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has sought the removal of 2,4-D from the market on health and safety grounds. But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rejected the NRDC’s request, saying there is insufficient evidence linking the herbicide to cancer.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
To Learn More:
Dow Corn, Resistant to a Weed Killer, Runs Into Opposition (by Andrew Pollack, New York Times)
Protesters Urge U.S. To Scuttle Dow's New GMO Corn (by Carey Gillam, Reuters)
EPA Denies NRDC Petition on 2,4-D -- Confirms Safety of Tolerances (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
Dramatic Increase in Weed-Killer Use in U.S. (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
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