Tell the USDA to Stop Dow Chemical's "Agent Orange" Crops
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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 and soybeans 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.
USDA has just released its draft environmental impact statement and announced a 45-day public comment period on these new crops. Tell USDA and President Obama to reject Dow Chemical's "Agent Orange" crops!
Wide scale use of Roundup with Roundup Ready GE crops has led to a new generation 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 substance 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.
And now Dow wants to use even more toxic 2,4-D on our farms and food crops!
Dow's "Agent Orange" corn will trigger a large increase in 2,4-D use--and our exposure to this toxic herbicide--yet USDA has failed to investigate the potential harms caused by such an increase. 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 and soy as the solution to glyphosate-resistant weeds, but GE crop systems caused the "superweeds" in the first place. Like Roundup before it, 2,4-D is only a temporary solution that will require more and more toxic chemicals leaching into our environment and food supply.
But the growing problem of "superweeds" isn't a problem for Dow Chemical. In fact, Dow scientist John Jachetta welcomed it in glowing terms as "a new era" and "a very significant opportunity" for chemical companies like Dow Chemical. Indeed, Dow Chemical's "Agent Orange" crops are bad for farmers, consumers, communities and the environment—but they're great for Dow Chemical's bottom line.
Tell the government to reject Dow Chemical's "Agent Orange" corn and soy
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