Chaos due to herbicides

Farmers in the US are caught between a rock and a hard place as multinational agrochemical companies are producing increasingly destructive herbicides and herbicide-resistant seeds. The industry said genetically modified (GMO) crops will reduce the need for herbicides, but their use is steadily increasing. More potent forms of herbicides are forcing the closure of neighboring farms whose crops are not resistant to these super-herbicides, and we are also seeing widespread negative health impacts. Several herbicides, including 2,4-D and dicamba, are widely used and have been linked to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, developmental and reproductive problems, tumors, and organ damage.

Corrupt industry

Monsanto is an American multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation. Recent reports show Monsanto as making the most toxic products on the market while hiding potential hazards and canceling research into their effects. With hired academics, academics and journalists, the company can avoid adversity and solve problems.

Usually companies conduct their own tests and then provide samples to regulators and universities to further study the products and determine their safety. However, Monsanto doesn't seem to be playing by these rules. In one case, Monsanto banned university researchers from testing XtendiMax herbicide products with VaporGrip for their potential for evaporation and drift (the herbicide's ability to travel distances), and in another case, they canceled a study on feeding duration that found GE corn caused massive tumors and organ damage.

Increased herbicide cocktails

The use of the potent herbicide dicamba has increased since the early 2000s as weeds become more formula-resistant. As a result, farmers opted to plant dicamba-resistant seeds, which replaced other herbicide-resistant seeds. These modified seeds are used in conjunction with an increasingly powerful herbicide formulation known as herbicide cocktails.

Amazingly, hundreds of herbicide combinations have been approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to combat growing weed resistance, and the herbicides are now more toxic than ever. It has been suggested that the EPA does not know how the new chemical mixtures could threaten our health and the environment. While chemical companies have the resources to learn about the potential hazards of their products, the EPA has been criticized for less stringent scrutiny of what is put on the market.

Dicamba deals great damage

Dicamba is a potent toxin that should not be used during the growing season due to its ability to drift and damage crops that are not formula resistant. The old herbicide formulas were only allowed to be used prior to planting to kill weeds.

This chemical has done a lot of damage lately as the growing season in the United States peaked in the summer. A new reformulation of Monsanto's dicamba herbicide drifted through fields to crops that could not handle it. Pictures from farmers appeared on all social media showing devastated bean fields, peach orchards and vegetable gardens. An estimated 3.1 million acres of land were damaged by dicamba in Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee.

The main reason was Monsanto, which released dicamba-resistant seeds and did not release less herbicide-susceptible seeds as they had not yet been approved by the EPA. Farmers who bought the seeds claimed responsibility for illegally spraying old dicamba herbicides on their crops, which then, as you would expect, drifted to neighboring farms. Monsanto accused the farmers of illegally using dicamba, although they did not have access to a more sustainable formula.

By creating a new formulation of dicamba herbicide XtendiMax with VaporGrip, Monsanto claimed to have reduced drift problems and provided specific instructions for use, but found it almost impossible to use safely. Requirements are that the product is sprayed only when the wind speed is between 3 and 10 miles per hour, to ensure that harmful substances remain on the ground. But many farmers complain that no matter how hard they try, it is incredibly difficult to keep the sprayed chemical in their fields. Because of this, many farmers are turning to herbicide-resistant seeds to ensure that their crops are not destroyed by other farmers.

6 ways to reduce your exposure to herbicides and toxic chemicals

With chemical corporations, regulators and farmers struggling to align their decisions when it comes to responsibly using herbicides, there are too many agricultural poisons to deal with and this is worrying. To avoid exposure to chemicals, here are five ways to reduce chemicals in your food and environment:

1. Whenever possible, try to buy certified organic and herbivorous meat. Animal products tend to contain more toxins due to pesticide spraying, and their concentrations are higher than in fruits and vegetables.

2. When preparing fresh food, rinse with water and lemon or white vinegar, it can help to naturally remove chemical residues. This is especially important for children and pets who are more susceptible to herbicides.

3. Avoid processed foods as they are made with a variety of chemicals that cannot be washed off just like fresh fruits and vegetables.

4. Substitute natural cleaners from health food stores, or simply use white vinegar or lemon juice and water, these can clean almost anything.

5. Stay away from standard insect repellents: more natural options can be found at your local health food store.

6. Monsanto produces the most common weed killer, Roundup, and this is a big problem in the home as agricultural-grade foods can affect our food. Better to control weeds naturally, understand that chemicals from a chemically treated lawn are entering your home, where herbicides and pesticides can be trapped in the carpet fibers, which can harm pets and children.

Kordopolova M. Yu.