Landscape Architect Articles

Legislative Alert: Investigation on Herbicide 2,4-D07-28-15 | News

Legislative Alert: Investigation on Herbicide 2,4-D

Over the course of one week, International Agency for Research on Cancer working group members considered a selection of literature and provided a rating for the cancerous risk of a certain pesticide. Here is an example of their scoring.
Photo: International Agency for Research on Cancer

2,4-D, a chemical found in some herbicides used in the landscape industry, was recently reviewed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The group rated 2,4-D as 2B – a possible carcinogen. The 2,4-D Research Task Force responded, saying "the IARC classification of 2,4-D as a "2B – possible" carcinogen is at odds with comprehensive cancer reviews completed by health and safety regulators worldwide."

"No regulatory agency in the world considers 2,4-D to be a carcinogen," said Dr. Julie Goodman, an epidemiologist, board certified toxicologist and consultant to the 2,4-D Research Task Force. The IARC is an agency associated with the World Health Organization (WHO) that creates working groups to periodically consider lifestyles, workplaces, and compounds that may have carcinogenicity potential. The IARC working groups are made up of scientists from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines.

The National Association of Landscape Professionals and its members are just as concerned as the public that the products they use every day are as safe as possible. Experienced landscape professionals are knowledgeable about how to choose and apply inputs. Applicators are licensed and regulated by state and federal laws, and the products they use are also subject to government review and regulation.

NALP supports the use of EPA and state approved products when used according to manufacturer specifications. The association has confidence in the EPA scientists and other world regulatory agencies whose job it is to review all data, new and old, and require continued evaluation to assure that the products on the market can be used safely. The IARC's new hazard ranking of 2,4-D as 2B, puts it in the same hazard category as things like aloe vera, coffee and pickled vegetables. NALP supports the EPA's current position on 2,4-D's safety.