PANUPS: Tell EPA to Put the Brakes on 2,4-D

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PANUPS: Tell EPA to Put the Brakes on 2,4-D

Thu, 10 Mar 2005 12:18:55 -0800

 

 

 

 

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P A N U P S

Pesticide Action Network Updates Service

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Tell EPA to Put the Brakes on 2,4-D

March 10, 2005

 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is accepting public

comments on registration of 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid), a

ubiquitous lawn and garden herbicide that is frequently mixed with

fertilizer in a " weed & feed " product. Weed and feed formulations are

especially

problematic because they encourage repeated and far wider use of 2,4-D

on lawns, presenting special risks to children and contaminating ground

and surface water. Email the EPA by Monday, March 14, and urge them to

protect children by canceling all registrations for 2,4-D by visiting

our action center at: http://ga4.org/campaign/_weednfeed

 

Approximately 40 million pounds of 2,4-D are used each year in the U.S.

on lawns, golf courses, ball fields and parks, as well as applied

agriculturally to pasture land, wheat, corn, soybeans, barley, rice, oats

and sugar cane. In a 2003 study of pesticides present in the bodies of

U.S. residents, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

reported that young children (6-11 years) had significantly higher

levels of

both 2,4-D and 2,4-dichlorophenol (a breakdown product of 2,4-D and

triclosan) than adults and youth (12-19 years).

 

Epidemiological studies have linked 2,4-D to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

(NHL) among farmers and studies in Canada and Sweden have also found a

greater incidence of 2,4-D exposure among people diagnosed with NHL. A

number of studies also link 2,4-D exposure to childhood cancers including

leukemia, NHL, and brain cancers. In dogs, exposure to lawns treated

with 2,4-D has been associated with greater incidence of bladder cancer.

 

The herbicide is said to have relatively low persistence in both soil

and water. However 2,4-D has a high potential to leach from soil and

contaminate surface and ground water, and has been detected in the

groundwater in five states and Canada. In King County, Washington a

1996 study

found the herbicide present in every stream sampled during spring

storms. Yet the herbicide's greatest persistence by far is indoors, away

from direct sunlight. One study calculated that a single application to

turf that was tracked indoors could be expected to linger in carpeting

for up to one year.

 

Many studies enumerate the multiple pathways through which children are

exposed to chemicals and pesticides present in household dust and on

surface areas in the home. The hand to mouth behaviors of small

children, their close proximity to the floor, and their handling of

toys and

contact with surfaces all result in greater exposures to pesticides

present in the home. In a preliminary risk assessment of 2,4-D, EPA

determined that toddlers' risks from contact with treated lawns

exceeded agency

guidelines. However, the agency revised that assessment, without fully

factoring in all exposures to children through food, water, and

residential dust. EPA also has not determined 2,4-D to be a carcinogen,

despite the existing body of science linking the herbicide to cancer.

 

Weed and feed formulations of 2,4-D encourage repeated applications

over the entire lawn area, rather than selective application to areas

where weeds are present. Typically, weeds exist in only a small

fraction of

a lawn. Moreover, there is evidence that a substantial number of

consumers do not recognize weed and feed formulations as pesticides.

Furthermore, not all people read and follow label instructions. One study

recently determined that only 53% of households report reading and

carefully following the label when using pesticides and fertilizers.

 

Given that excessive application of 2,4-D in weed and feed products

presents significant human health and environmental risks, and special

risks for children, cancellation of weed and feed registrations is the

single most effective way EPA can reduce the risks for children,

families,

pets and the environment. EPA is accepting comments from the public

until March 14, 2005.

 

 

To send an email to EPA visit the PANNA action center at:

http://ga4.org/campaign/_weednfeed

 

For more information, see the Beyond Pesticides website and sample a

letter to EPA for groups and individuals at

http://www.beyondpesticides.org.

 

EPA Docket number is OPP-2004-0167.

 

Sources: Beyond Pesticides, Alert March 1, 2004, Chemical Watch Fact

Sheet 2,4-D, and EPA comments on August 24, 2004,

http://www.beyondpesticides.org.

Contact: Beyond Pesticides, Tel, (202) 543-5450,

info, or PANNA.

 

 

 

 

PANUPS is a weekly email news service providing resource guides and

reporting on pesticide issues that don't always get coverage by the

mainstream media. It's produced by Pesticide Action Network North

America, a

non-profit and non-governmental organization working to advance

sustainable alternatives to pesticides worldwide.

 

You can join our efforts! We gladly accept donations for our work and

all contributions are tax deductible in the United States. Visit

http://www.panna.org/donate.

 

 

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