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EPA has cleared the way for the herbicide Enlist Duo—a combination of 2,4-D and glyphosate—to be used on genetically engineered corn and soybeans in more than a dozen U.S. states. The agency is also proposing to allow the controversial mixture to be used on cotton and to expand from 15 to 34 the number of states where it can be used.
U.S. regulators first approved Enlist Duo for use on corn and soybeans in 2014, but subsequently asked a federal court to overturn the approval. The agency claimed that the herbicide’s maker, Dow AgroSciences, withheld data suggesting synergistic effects between the two ingredients.
EPA reviewed additional data submitted by Dow and announced on Nov. 1 that regulators found no synergistic effects. “These data demonstrate that the combination of 2,4-D choline and glyphosate in Enlist Duo does not show any increased toxicity to plants and is therefore not of concern,” the agency says.
Dow reported synergistic effects in a patent application for Enlist Duo, but now says that the claim was based on limited data. Dow has since collected additional data that confirm the two ingredients do not amplify each other’s toxicity, the company says.
Environmental groups, which filed a lawsuit in 2015 challenging EPA’s approval of Enlist Duo, are outraged by the agency’s decision.
“EPA’s sudden about-face on this product is just astounding,” says Nathan Donley, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the plaintiffs in the suit. “Just last year the EPA asked a court to cancel registration of this product due to the unknown risks it posed, and now it suddenly wants to more than double the number of states where the pesticide can be used?” he asks. “This proposal ignores the available data and will potentially harm our environment.”
EPA is accepting comments on its proposal to expand the number of states where Enlist Duo can be used until Dec. 1. The agency expects to make a final decision in early 2017.
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