Have you been exposed to this common, 'cancer causing' chemical?

World Health Org warns about common herbicide

A chemical in a common herbicide widely used in farm work may potentially pose a threat to humans who are exposed to it, a new report from a World Health Organization (WHO) research unit has found.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The herbicide known as 2,4-dichlorphenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) manufactured by Dow AgroSciences may "possibly" cause cancer in those exposed to it, said the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

The IARC now classifies 2,4-D as "possibly carcinogenic to humans," after it reviewed several reports on the chemical.

These findings have been cheered by environmental and consumer groups who want the use of 2,4-D to be regulated and restricted, though farming organizations say that the herbicide is a necessary part of modern farming and would cause the industry to suffer if more restrictions are tacked on.

While the IARC's classification does not have any regulatory weight legally, it does hold sway with lawmakers, lobbyists and the general public, and may cause regulations to be put into effect.

Dow AgroSciences uses the 2,4-D chemical in a product it calls Enlist Due, which was approved in the U.S. last year, and is designed to be used on genetically engineered, herbicide-tolerant crops that have also been developed by Dow Chemical.

Still, 2,4-D is only "possibly" a cause of cancer because of "inadequate evidence in humans and limited evidence in experimental animals," that the chemical causes cancer.

The chemical 2,4-D has been widely in use to control weeds in the agriculture, forestry, urban and residential markets since it was first introduced back in 1945, and despite the IARC's new research, it may continue to be a popular herbicide.

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