Troubling data that showed the two major chemicals in the pesticide combine to have “synergistic” effects that are harmful to wildlife and the environment were only given a cursory review by the EPA.
And if the approval goes through, the potent chemical cocktail will be used on corn, soy and cotton in 34 states. Enlist Duo had been previously approved for use on corn and soy in 15 states.
But Dow had told the EPA that the combination of the two herbicides didn’t enhance their toxicity to plants, but an earlier patent application from Dow claimed that it did.
Dr. Nathan Donley, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, was quoted by EcoWatch as saying, “EPA’s sudden about-face on this product is just astounding. This proposal ignores the available data and will potentially harm our environment.”
In November 2015, Digital Journal reported the EPA had gone to court to have the registration vacated for Dow AgroSciences’ herbicide Enlist Duo, citing potentially significant environmental risks.
Enlist Duo contains a chemical concoction that includes the two active ingredients, glyphosate and 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D) and an unknown list of other ingredients that Dow has termed “Colex-D technology,”
The Enlist Duo was quickly developed to replace Monsanto’s Roundup-Ready system because of the rise in superweeds that had become resistant to the toxic dose of glyphosate. The thing is, glyphosate-resistant weeds now cover millions of acres of farmland all across the U.S. and now, many farmers are complaining that some weeds have now also developed a tolerance to 2, 4-D.
The EPA’s negligence in allowing these pesticide concoctions to be used without a full evaluation of their harmful effects on humans, wildlife and the environment is nothing new. In a groundbreaking report published earlier this year called Toxic Concoctions, the facts on the EPA’s allowing synergistic chemicals to be used were laid bare.
According to the report, “69 percent of new pesticides registered in the past six years by the four major pesticide companies had patents demonstrating their new products’ synergistic effects with other pesticides,” and the effects were not taken into consideration by the EPA when approval was given to use them.
“EPA’s decision is a capitulation to the agrichemical industry,” George Kimbrell, senior attorney with the Center for Food Safety, said. “We will continue to protect farmers, consumers and the environment from this toxic crop system, and are exploring all legal options.”
Marcia Ishii-Eiteman, Ph.D., a senior scientist with the Pesticide Action Network agrees. She said, “Once again, EPA has failed to protect the health, well-being and livelihood of America’s farmers and rural communities. The agency’s decision dramatically increases the risk of pesticide drift causing severe crop losses and harms to human health.”
Well, just as Congress is being used by Big Pharma and its lobbyists, there is no doubt that the EPA is in cahoots with Agrochemical companies after the same thing as the pharmaceutical companies, and that is one word: profits. And again, people, wildlife and the environment are the losers.
