Cancer on the Cob? WHO Says Chemical Possibly Carcinogenic

The World Health Organization ruled this week that a chemical in an herbicide used on genetically engineered corn and soy crops is “possibly” cancer-causing for humans.

The ruling on Dow Chemical's weed killer known as 2,4-D comes just less than three months after the WHO declared that the main ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup week killer, glyphosate, is “probably carcinogenic.”

RELATED: French Ecology Minister Announces Ban on Monsanto's Roundup

“The last thing we need is genetically engineered crops that dramatically increase the spraying of potentially carcinogenic chemicals,” said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety. “Dow’s GE crops will be sprayed with Enlist Duo, which combines 2,4-D and glyphosate, a probable human carcinogen.”

#IARC: 2,4-D & glyphosate in Dow’s Enlist Duo herbicide for #GMO crops are human #cancer risks http://t.co/WtWEMfMjKx pic.twitter.com/G3D1zW5bTp

— Just Label It (@justlabelit) junio 25, 2015

Environmental and consumer groups are lobbying to restrict the farm chemical's use. The WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer found that Dow's 2,4-D was possibly carcinogenic after testing the chemical on animals, which research and studies showed resulted in cancer, as well as suppressed immune systems and oxidative stress.

Dow is now selling farmers its Enlist Duo, a combination of glyphosate and 2,4-D, to spray on genetically modified corn and soybean products designed to resist the two chemicals.

“There are better ways to control weeds that don’t involve cancer-causing herbicides,” added Kimbrell.

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