Herbicides in House Dust; 2,4-D Medical Risks

Excerpt from Beyond Pesticides (www.beyondpesticides.org):

Study* Finds Agricultural Pesticides Common In Rural House Dust
(Beyond Pesticides, July 25, 2006)

“… Most shocking is the amount of dust containing 2,4-D, which was found to be present in 95 percent of homes, typically in concentrations exceeding 1,000 ppb. In one house, 2,4-D's values reached an astounding 125,000 ppb. Used on crops, along roadsides, in forests, and on lawns, 2,4-D is the third most widely used herbicide in the United States and Canada. According to Illinois EPA, 2,4-D is a probable endocrine disruptor and a number of studies link 2,4-D to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma….

Of nearly 120 studies that have investigated the risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma associated with pesticide contact, most show an increased risk for the disease—especially for herbicides—according to the Lymphoma Foundation of America. Printed information from the foundation states that the pesticides "more frequently associated with increased lymphoma incidence and/or deaths" are the herbicides 2,4-D and the triazines, which includes atrazine….”

For this article (which includes more information on health effects) from Beyond Pesticides go to http://www.geocities.com/sedonasprayfree/PesticidesInHouseDust.htm

*The study Proximity to Crops and Residential Exposure to Agricultural Herbicides in Iowa was published in Environmental Health Perspectives, June 2006.