Here Comes Another GMO Corn And More Herbicide

Dow Chemical is about to win approval for a new genetically modified organism (GMO), a type of corn that will allow farmers to spray massive amounts of a chemical weed killer called 2,4-D intended to wipe out pesky invasive plants. The new corn can survive 2,4-D. But many people question how well farmers and consumers will survive this planned escalation of agricultural chemical warfare.

Chemical Time Bomb

Dow’s intentions of selling its new GMO corn and the subsequent massive increase in use of the weed killer 2,4-D has raised a storm of controversy. Steve Smith, agricultural director of Red Gold, an Indiana tomato processor, has called the planned use of the new corn a “ticking time bomb.”

“We are all producers and people who have no problem with new technology. But we see this new piece of it having side effects we don’t think people have adequately thought of,” he tells Reuters.

Objections to the innovative corn, which Dow is calling Enlist, are especially strong among farmers who don’t use Dow’s herbicides but have lost crops to drifting residues of chemicals like 2,4-D.

“It’s a major issue for farm country,” says John Bode, a lawyer for food firms and farmers who want stricter regulations of the Dow corn and herbicides.

“Massive amounts of 2,4-D… can cause major changes, threatening specialty crops miles away,” Bode says.

Reuters also reports that farmers like David Simmons, who owns a vineyard in Indiana, have had serious damage to their crops from drifting 2,4-D originating in neighboring fields. “I’m faced with looking five years down the road. Is it even going to be profitable to grow grapes if I continue to get this damage every summer?” Simmons wants to know.

Health Effects

A few of the folks who are working against the new GMO corn call it “Agent Orange corn” because 2,4-D was an ingredient in that infamous herbicide sprayed during the Vietnam War. But Dow points out that the ingredient in Agent Orange that caused most of its health-threatening side effects (like cancer and birth defects) was another chemical, 2,4,5-T, which has been outlawed. The chemical 2,4-D in contrast is used by many consumers in their home lawn-care products.

On the other hand, Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch, warns: “Many studies show that 2,4-D exposure is associated with various forms of cancer, Parkinson’s disease, nerve damage, hormone disruption and birth defects. USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) must take these significant risks seriously and reject approval of this crop.”

The Environmental Protection Agency, however, says that 2,4-D has not been shown to cause cancer in humans.  And The New York Times reports that farmers like Brooks Hurst, who grows corn in Missouri, are urging approval of the GMO corn. “I think it’s a crisis and we need something to have a solution to get rid of resistant weeds,” Hurst says.

The Times also reports that this corn is only the initial phase of a new Dow program to introduce many 2,4-D ready crops. Soon to come are cotton and soybeans that will be suitable for the herbicide. They report that Monsanto is working on soybeans, corn and cotton that can tolerate similar herbicides.

Herbicide In The Air

No one can be sure of the long-term effects of the use of these crops and weed killers. There are reports that 2,4-D is especially prone to vaporizing and traveling in the air for long distances.

“This volatilization thing is a situation we’ve never had to face before on a widespread basis,” Smith told The Times.

Smith is worried that applications of 2,4-D made late in the growing season when temperatures climb will increase the spread of the questionable chemical.

But Dow’s spokespeople insist that their new formulas for 2,4-D will minimize volatization.

“This is going to be a solution that we are looking forward to bringing to farmers,” says Joe Vertin,  a Dow spokesperson.  But organic farmers and others concerned with the degradation of the environment and the subsequent health risks are uneasy.