En route to approving the herbicide 2,4-D for use on new GMO strains of corn and soybeans, EPA scientists “changed their analysis of a pivotal rat study by Dow, tossing aside signs of kidney trouble that Dow researchers said were caused by 2,4-D,” said an investigative report in the Chicago Tribune. “The EPA scientists who revised that crucial document were persuaded by a Canadian government toxicologist who decided that Dow – a company that has a $1 billion product at stake – had been overly cautious in flagging kidney abnormalities that she deemed insignificant.”
The Tribune says the end result is that higher levels of exposure to the herbicide will be allowed, although EPA says they will not be dangerous. The EPA review involved Enlist Duo, an herbicide that combines 2,4-D and glyphosate designed for next-generation genetically modified seeds. EPA withdrew registration of the herbicide last week, saying it had new information of “potential synergistic effects between the two ingredients on non-target plants.” That decision was unrelated to the EPA’s health assessment of 2,4-D.
In its story, the Tribune says, in considering exposure levels, especially for children, “EPA’s math favored a dramatic increase in the weedkiller.” Dow said 2,4-D is safe and has been studied extensively. “We know from 70 years of exposure that 2,4-D has not presented health problems,” James Bus, a former Dow toxicologist, told the Tribune.