After garnering a response of 100,000 signatures on its petition, the three-time Emmy award-winning, critically-acclaimed and nationally-syndicated The Dr. Oz Show is calling on President Barack Obama to block approval of the highly toxic herbicide Enlist Duo 2,4-D.
Initiated from the Sept. 22nd episode of The Dr. Oz Show, the petition created on the We The People site reached the number of signatures necessary to require the White House to forward the complaints to the appropriate oversight agencies and expedite a response. Regardless of whether the EPA approves the neurotoxic chemical for use this fall, the President can intervene and prevent its deployment by executive order.
"We are urging the President to intervene and prevent the EPA from allowing this highly toxic herbicide mix to threaten our nation's health," said Dr. Mehmet Oz. "While it's important to find new and efficient ways to produce food, it should never be at the expense of our health. The 100,000 signatures is representative of popular concern over this dangerous herbicide and the urgency to find safer alternatives."
The mix of chemical herbicides known as "Enlist Duo" could mean as much as an additional hundred million pounds of chemicals would be used to produce corn and soybeans in the US, potentially putting families' health and the environment at risk. Earlier in the year, 35 prominent doctors, experts and researchers wrote to the EPA to express concern that communities living downwind of fields, and thousands of schools within 200 feet of corn and soybean fields, could be exposed. The chemical 2,4-D, and the glyphosate herbicide combination developed by the Dow Chemical Company, has been linked to an increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, thyroid & reproductive problems, Parkinson's disease and neurological damage. On July 31 of this year, 50 members of Congress wrote to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, urging them to reject the approval of Enlist Duo, citing its link to adverse health effects, as well as the agency's failure to properly assess the herbicide's risk to public health. In addition, over 500,000 parents and citizens have also written to the EPA to express their grave concerns.
As part of the original broadcast on September 22nd, The Dr. Oz Show solicited and received responses to several questions from the Environmental Protection Agency. While the toxicity of the herbicide was not disputed, the EPA in essence felt that widespread use of Enlist Duo 2,4-D posed no threat to public health if used within protocols. As the public waits for the EPA to announce its decision on whether to approve the chemical for use, raising awareness of the health risks is critical to spur action that can prevent Enlist Duo from widespread use.
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SOURCE The Dr. Oz Show
