Corteva Ceases Production of Controversial Herbicide Enlist Duo Amid Health and Environmental Concerns
In a significant move, the US chemical giant Corteva has announced it will stop producing Enlist Duo, a herbicide that environmentalists have labeled a 'toxic cocktail' due to its dangerous combination of Agent Orange and glyphosate. This decision follows over a decade of intense litigation and public advocacy campaigns aimed at banning the product, which has been linked to cancer and widespread ecological damage.
Background on the Hazardous Components
Enlist Duo contains two highly contentious substances. Agent Orange, originally deployed by the US military as a chemical weapon during the Vietnam war to destroy vegetation, has been associated with severe health issues among soldiers and Vietnamese residents. Glyphosate, another key ingredient, is a toxic herbicide that has sparked numerous lawsuits and is banned or heavily restricted in many industrialized nations. Despite these risks, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved Enlist Duo for use on food crops, with the compound being applied annually to approximately 4.5 million acres of fields growing corn, soybeans, and genetically engineered cotton.
Legal Battles and Advocacy Efforts
The discontinuation of Enlist Duo marks the end of a prolonged legal struggle. Kristina Sinclair, a staff attorney with the Center for Food Safety (CFS), which served as a lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, described the move as a victory. "After over a decade of legal battles, rather than try to rebut our arguments in court, the manufacturer pulled Enlist Duo from the market," Sinclair stated. "Our food system never should have been doused in this toxic cocktail, and now never will be again." Corteva, which reported over $1 billion in sales from Enlist products in 2022, did not immediately comment on the decision, leaving the reasons for the withdrawal unclear.
Ongoing Concerns with Agent Orange Chemical
While Enlist Duo is being discontinued, the Agent Orange chemical 2,4-D will continue to be used in another Corteva herbicide, Enlist One. A lawsuit seeking to invalidate its approval is still ongoing. 2,4-D operates by attacking weed roots and leaves, inducing unwanted cell growth similar to cancer, and is classified as a 'possible' carcinogen by the World Health Organization. It has been linked to serious health effects, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma, birth defects, respiratory problems, Parkinson's disease, and reproductive harms. Additionally, the CFS has highlighted that 2,4-D poses a threat to hundreds of endangered species, such as butterflies, birds, fish, deer, panthers, and bats.
EPA's Controversial Role and Regulatory Flaws
The EPA's handling of Enlist Duo has been heavily criticized. Initially approved in 2014, the agency faced a lawsuit from the CFS and others for failing to ensure the herbicide would not cause 'unreasonable adverse effects on the environment' as required by pesticide laws. In 2020, a federal court invalidated the EPA's approval, but the agency reapproved it in 2022 for seven more years of use. Advocates argue that the EPA based its assessments on outdated usage levels, underestimating the true threat. Nathan Donley, environmental health director at the Center for Biological Diversity, criticized the EPA's approach, stating that the agency prioritizes getting pesticides to market over thorough safety evaluations. "Whenever the courts find flaws with their approach, there's never a moment of reflection," Donley said. "There's simply a scramble to figure out the quickest workaround to get it reapproved."
This decision by Corteva represents a pivotal moment in the ongoing debate over pesticide safety and regulatory oversight in the United States, highlighting the power of persistent advocacy in challenging harmful agricultural practices.
