EPA Denies NRDC 2008 Petition To Cancel 2,4-D
April 10, 2012 In a recent conference call, the EPA announced that it was denying a 2008 petition of the NRDC to cancel 2,4-D and revoke all its tolerances.
Stating that the Agency had conducted a thorough evaluation of all the available data, the public comments submitted to the docket responding to the petition, and the state-of-the-science One Generation Reproduction test, Cathryn Britton of the EPA said they had no concern and would not re-open the safety assessment of 2,4-D.
“That study provides an in-depth examination of 2,4-D’s potential for endocrine disruptor, neurotoxic, and immunotoxic effects. The study and EPA’s comprehensive review confirmed EPA’s previous finding that the 2,4-D tolerances are safe. Based on studies addressing endocrine effects on wildlife species and the adequacy of personal protective equipment for workers, the Agency concluded that the science behind our current ecological and worker risk assessments for 2,4-D is sound and there is no basis to change the registrations.”
The link to EPA’s Release on their decision is available here.
The Agency considered additional information submitted during the comment period, and provided perspective on health effects to pets, stating, “while the Agency concurs that perhaps additional research is warranted, it does not believe that there is evidence of critical animal health issues which warrant changes to its current conclusions.”
In replying to requests to develop alternatives to 2,4-D use, “the Agency does not assess alternatives where it has not identified any risks of concern.”
The Task Force is satisfied that the Agency has recognized the strength of the robust database that supports this valuable and beneficial compound. We appreciate the efforts of the user community that provided input to the Agency docket.
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