Remember Agent Orange, the notorious defoliant used in the Vietnam War? Are you ready for Agent Orange Ready seeds for US agriculture? Action Alert!
One of the two active ingredients that made up Agent Orange is 2,4-D. Despite what Agent Orange did to Vietnam and the Vietnamese people, not to mention a generation of American soldiers, 2,4-D is currently the most widely used herbicide in the world, and the third most commonly used in North America. But apparently we aren’t using this poison enough. By using seeds engineered to withstand it, much more can be applied to our soil and crops.
One of the biggest reasons for genetic engineering of crops is that the harsh poisons used to kill weeds also tend to kill the crops themselves. Scientists genetically alter the crops’ DNA so they will resist damage from the herbicides. Most of the attention to date has been on the creation of Roundup Ready seeds—that is, seeds and crops that can withstand the herbicide Roundup from Monsanto. According to USDA figures, 94 percent of soybeans and more than 70 percent of corn and cotton planted in the US contain the Roundup-resistant gene.
Not at all surprisingly, weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to Roundup, creating “superweeds” which are “galloping through the Midwest.” So Dow AgroScience created a strain of corn that has been genetically engineered to withstand a different class of herbicides—those containing 2,4-D, a known carcinogen.
Dow is now seeking to freely use this 2,4-D-resistant corn. GE modification to create resistance means they will be free to use ever-increasing amounts of the herbicide, with no limits whatsoever.
These new herbicide-resistant crops will be planted alongside conventional and organic crops. This increases the potential for cross-contamination, and for the spillover of toxic herbicides into the groundwater and neighboring farms.
The manufacturer of this seed will of course reject our use of the term
“Agent Orange Ready” seed. But don’t be deceived. 2,4-D was a principal ingredient of Agent Orange—and it is the toxic pesticide that these new seeds are designed to survive.
Three million people had health effects and 150,000 were born with birth defects as result of Agent Orange’s use during the Vietnam War. The US Department of Veterans Affairs has a shocking list of the diseases related to Agent Orange exposure, including leukemia, diabetes, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, heart disease, Parkinson’s, and numerous different cancers.
It is true that the other half of the Agent Orange recipe was an herbicide whose manufacturing process made it easily susceptible to contamination with an incredibly toxic chemical called TCDD (the most toxic dioxin). But this doesn’t let 2,4-D off the hook, not by any means.
The advocacy group Beyond Pesticides discusses the terrible health and environmental effects of 2,4-D at length on their website. There are clear links between 2,4-D and cancer, as well as potential endocrine disruption, reproductive effects, neurotoxicity, kidney liver damage, and birth and development defects. This herbicide is far worse than Roundup.
In 2008, the Natural Resources Defense Council petitioned the EPA to ban the pesticide. According to the NRDC, there are safer and more effective pesticides, but 2,4-D is often more affordable.
Even scarier, Monsanto and Dow now seem to be in collusion with one another. In its petition, Dow states that the 2,4-D trait in the GE seeds will be stacked with Monsanto’s Roundup Ready trait so that the seeds are resistant to multiple herbicide tolerances. Soon we’ll be eating food with a whole cocktail of different herbicide traits cooked into the seed—all so they can be sprayed with chemicals that are more toxic than ever before! The real solution here is to stop using GE seeds altogether.
Unfortunately, our nation is increasingly dependent on mono-cultured GE crops, rather than promoting diversity in crops and organic food and vegetables—which is better for not only for our health but for the environment as well.
GE crops are not tolerated in the European Union. BASF, a German biotech company, decided to leave the EU and go to the US where they receive safe harbor from the USDA. Last year, Hungary destroyed roughly 1000 acres of illegal GE corn, and said it plans to make distributing GMO seeds a felony.
The USDA’s public comment period for giving a green light to this GE corn ends on February 27. Even if we don’t move USDA, the more comments received, the firmer foundation is laid for Congressional or legal action. USDA has already written an environmental assessment—and not surprisingly it’s a whitewash.
Please contact USDA immediately, and protest what is going on in the strongest possible terms. Point out the serious health problems linked to 2,4-D, the danger of cross-pollination and contamination of surrounding farmland by the herbicides, as well as the environmental unsustainability of creating new GE seeds to withstand increasingly poisonous herbicides. We must not accept Agent Orange Ready seed. Please take action today!
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CUT IT OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Actually, one of the main ingredients of Agent Orange was 2,4,5T, a vegetation and brush killer that was outlawed years ago by the government. 2,4D is a broadleaf weed killer and grasses and trees are not affected by it. It has been used to kill weeds in corn fields for decades and was replaced with Roundup because the residual life if Roundup is only a month or two, whereas 2,4D stays in the soil for a year or more and is much more hazardous because of that fact.
A couple of years ago, my 33-year-old son, had an artery wrapped around a kidney-line choking it, so fluids couldn’t pass. It weighed 23 lbs., when removed; surgery was supposed to take five hours…it was intricate, it took ten. The doctors found he had four kidneys. He has webbed toes and super-vision, so everyone has said that I took too many vitamins while I was pregnant with him. Recently, his father who was exposed to “agent orange” while a young soldier in Vietnam, told us that the U.S. Government and VA released information about the children born to the exposed soldiers. The multiple kidneys, and other factors…some horrific for other children, are the results of agent orange exposure.
Where can I find studies on this sort of thing? And do the studies have documentation also? I believe this entirely, however there are people out there that need to see documentation about the findings
In the research I have done 2,4-D has very low toxicity. It was the DIOXIN in Agent Orange, NOT THE 2,4-D, that made it such a killer. Outlawing 2,4-D will force growers to much more toxic chemicals. Research 2,4-D. This is FALSE information that is being spread.
I agree. I spray 2,4-d all the time. This article is SOOO misleading, and lies several times. Thank you for saying what I would have.
I know what agent orange can do and I’ve seen what it can do. You want to use it on our land? Why?
to poison our children and your own children if you have any. Is making money more important than Children and the Public.
A world of consequence is being created by representatives, specifically the FDA and Congress, who due to ignorance, arrogance and possibly deep pockets are bent on contaminating our food supply. They fight hard to keep toxic ingredients from being put on labels. They fight against organic farmers and dairys. The put GMO’s ahead of unadulterated crops. That’s only the tip of the iceburg. My question is who is allowing this genocide? Do we not have leaders in office who can step up to the slayers of our society? We need leaders to stand up to the bullies.,
Linda, its definitely not ignorance.
Check this out. http://www.organicconsumers.org/usda_watch.cfm
Wow…should we as Americans leave for Europe???I’m starting to feel much Safer..Its almost like Saadam…poisoning their own people.
Harriet A. Washington’s well researched and insightful book “Deadly Monopolies” speaks of Monsanto. Even poor devastated Haitian’s will not accept Monsanto’s seeds, yet America does. We have to keep spreading the word and exposing the greed of the people running these companies. Congratulations to ANH and all who helped defeat the legislation so far.
As a former employee of a spraying operation for crops, I have seen that the use of these chemicals is far exceeding what is safe. They are spraying fields prior to grazing cattle and they have had birth defects and cows losing calves but they are pushing it under the table when it is very dangerous for all involved. We are losing all lthe good natural aspects of our crops and being forced into using chemicals that are going to lessen our lifespan and especially those of our children that are being forced to eat and breath these toxic chemicals with no regard to how they will be affected down the road. We have planes flying all spring,summer and fall over our house and we have no say what they are spraying on us. We are trying to be as natural as possible in the livestock we raise but there is always drift from all the spraying on the fields around us.
Why can’t our mad senseless scientist leave well enough alone
If it wasn’t for them we would not have all the nasty stuff that has caused so much havic
pcp,pbb,and so on and on when will it stop
cancer and a hole host of other things might not be at all time high
and the worst thing of all is most of it is all over MONEY
oh what wicked webs we weve when we first set out to deceive
Man has never needed a scorched earth field to plant and raise a crop. This seems like a plan to eliminate weeding.
Haven,t you greedy bastards made enough money at the risk of ruining America’s health. No!, No!, and No!, to this self serving plan. Not if I have anything to say or do about it. I modified this response as per the request of ANH-USA’s guidelines of civility. You corporations are going to far for what you will do to satisfy your greed. Explain to me , does this mean that the produce will be less expensive because of the risks that the consumers will be undertaking to increase your bottom line. Enough is enough. There is to be a day of reckoning for your attempts to muck everything up for the almighty dollar.
It boils down to stealing from the commons. they steal seeds handed down by generations of family farmers, they steal our clean water, air and soil, then they charge for solutions to clean up the mess. Hopefully they are held accountable with OSGATA et al. v. Monsanto. http://bit.ly/x4SLGV
My guess is that the powerful lobby who has its deep lasting ties with the federal government, courts and political system will come out without much changing. I personally think the government has too much invested for this to fail.
To end the corruption, you must spread the word and raise the stakes.
I am awstruck over the lack of consciousness being played out by the God of Greed worshippers. These individuals are in position to make us really sick, and no one seems to care. Are we living in a world made up as we go? Are we in a play therapy enviornment , where these people in position are playing as though they are in a fantasy bubbles. This not television, it is real life! I hope these people do not have any children. I recommend that they watch the movie called “Children of Men”.
Now this was a news article that affects everyone and yet I don’t see it on CNN/FOX. Thank you for getting this out to us. Great article.
I’m sick of this business. They know that Agent Orange can cause numerous health problems. Look at all the Vietnam Vets that were exposed to it and the health problems that they have. I personally know of one that it caused him to become diabetic, lose both of his legs and ultimately to die of renal failure. Now they want to expose all of us to it.
Our leaders should be ashamed…………
“Are We at War with Ourselves (and Our Children)?”
No “We” are not at war with ourselves but someone is. It is not just Monsanto, Monsanto is a tool. Examine Monsanto closely and you will find strong ties to the CIA. The FDA has long been a tool of the eugenic Rockefeller clan. The USDA of my youth was an honest agency who cared about the people of the USA. I am sure its workers still do.
But after the political murder of our beloved president JFK by the powers in DC all the agencies of the US Government were put on a path of tyranny and eugenics.
What is going on in our growing fields is nothing other than the long term poisoning of the soil. let alone the poisoning of our food. Why would any country poison its food and soil? A country whose “government” has been captured by murderous eugenicists might.
Most the boys who spent any amount of their overseas vacation on the ground in Vietnam could have had repucusions from the herbicede called agent orange; that is how deadly this substance is. If your ears are kept to the ground it would amaze you on how many of these” heros'” have died with some form of complications associated with agent orange. Make them ——-‘s who create these things eat their own wares until they realize how much damamge they can produce.
All of this awful stuff can be attributable to Agenda 21 and it’s quest for population reduction and in order to that, the corporations are given carte blanch in carrying out their never ending quest for profit. All of the politicians are aware of the mandates of Agenda 21 which is to become globalized and that cannot be done without destroying America by poison and by dumbing down our youth. You can rest assured that these ugly high paid government persons and their families do not eat GMO crops. Look at Michele and her tax paid, 6 figure, white house organic garden.
I wonder if Michele knows that her husband just hired former executive from Monsanto to head up the FDA? that goes against everything she preaches to schools about clean food.
What you say makes sense. Yes, that surely would be genocide toward our own. Where can we learn anout Agenda 21, and is there a connection between t and ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council)?
Thanks for the informative article. I believe that our government is in need of many things, including new and informed leadership; people who CARE about other people. What should be seen as a “wake up call” that countries around the world are shunning these chemicals and genetically modified seed is instead looked at and ignored here in the U.S. If you’re reading this, please take a few minutes to pass on this article (in the body of an email, not as an attachment) to your state and local government officials. Keep “passing on the information” to whomever you can, okay?
We have so much at stake here. I had a local butcher say to me a couple months ago…”well, everybody has to DIE OF SOMETHING”. I asked him if that included HIS YOUNG CHILDREN? Everything we do, say and believe HAS repercussions! Get together with others in your local area and “make a difference”. Also, check out http://www.FRESHthe movie.com, a film by Ana Sofia Jones…another eye opener on re-inventing our food system. FRESH addresses an ethos that has been sweeping the nation and is a call to action America has been waiting for.
Thank you.
Wendy
I am deeply disturbed that the very “corporation” that brought us so many deadly chemicals in the name of science, ESPECIALLY Agent Orange (which is STILL poisoning), could even be let NEAR our food supply. I believe that a half century of Monsanto’s poisons and fear mongering, has been 50 years too long! Those that lived in a time when going to the local grocery to feed their families and did not have to worry about poisoning their families instead, were truly the lucky ones. I would, and so would my children, love to live in a world where sustenance does not maim, cause birth defects, and slowly kill. Our Earth, the very ground we walk upon daily, was not to be plowed asunder by greed, but to be plowed in rows of seed.