Written by B.T. Hill   

Monsanto is known for Round-Up. Now Dow will be known for its genetically modified (GMO) 2-4-D corn! 2-4-D as some of you know, is “Agent Orange” used as a defoliant in the Viet Nam era.

Most people don't know this: 2-4-D is also a popular lawn care chemical, added as an ‘inert’ ingredient. It’s found in Weed B Gon and many other products. It is now being touted as the replacement for glyphosate, Monsanto’s “Round-Up,” because of Round-Up resistant weeds that farmers are fighting. We’ll have the agriculture industry (BIG AG) spraying both Round-Up and 2-4-D on GMO crops.

Corn is a tremendous crop in the United States, mostly planted in the Midwest. In 2011 the USDA reported that corn was planted in 91,897,000 acres. Due to ethanol use in automobiles, the acreage is sure to go up. We do NOT need 100 million acres of corn sprayed with 2-4-D!

Dow’s 2-4-D tolerant GMO corn should NOT be approved because of the massive amount of environmental damage to ground water — which is already polluted from Round-Up use.

The harmful effects on humans, birds, bees, butterflies, fish and the entire food chain will be disastrous! 2-4-D is harmful to pregnant women and their unborn children. Birth defects and a host of illnesses have been confirmed by medical science, including: soft tissue sarcoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, respiratory and circulatory difficulties.

2-4-D (also known as Atrazine) is the most common herbicide already found in groundwater; it is in 90% of tested water supplies. The number 2 chemical is Round-Up!

We cannot continue this legacy of poison which allows these large chemical corporations like Dow and Monsanto to have free reign in the food industry. This unnatural tampering with food with GMOs and the resulting use of these harmful chemicals has this country on a fast-track with dire consequences.

Direct comments can be made to the Federal Registry Office, Animal, Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) at:

http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2011/12/27/2011-33009/dow-agroscience-llc-availability-of-petition-plant-pest-risk-assessment-and-environmental-assessment

Closing date is February 27, 2012.