by: Jonathan Benson
(NaturalNews) Residents of a small West Virginia town near a Monsanto chemical production plant have filed a class action lawsuit against the agri-giant for pollution caused by the decades-long production of 2,4,5-T, a chemical compound that represents about half of the infamous Agent Orange herbicide. At the very same time, the Dow Chemical Company is seeking government deregulation of a new genetically-modified (GM) variety of corn resistant to 2,4-D, the other half of Agent Orange.
But tens of thousands of Americans have also suffered from exposure to Agent Orange chemicals as well, particularly those living in Nitro, WV, where Monsanto had been producing the carcinogenic chemicals for many decades. More than 80,000 local residents are included in a class action lawsuit against Monsanto, which highlights the cancer-causing effects of exposure to 2,4,5-T.
However, while this lawsuit takes shape, the Dow Chemical Company, another purveyor of GMOs and their toxic herbicides and pesticides, is petitioning the government to deregulate a new variety of GM corn known as DAS-40278-9, which has a built-in resistance to 2,4-D. This means, of course, that the company will need to spray 2,4-D on the crops in order for them to grow, which would require the EPA to lift its ban on the chemical.
2,4-D is said to be the less lethal portion of Agent Orange, and yet it is known to cause very serious health problems, including abdominal cavity bleeding and increased mortality in pregnant rats. The chemical is also linked to causing serious birth defects, organ damage, neurological dysfunction, and infertility (http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profile…).
With both this and the lawsuit in mind, it is absolutely ludicrous that Dow is now seeking permission to douse the American agricultural landscape in these very same Agent Orange chemicals. Perhaps the company simply thinks nobody is paying attention and that it will quietly get away with this little scheme by keeping it quiet — if so, it is sadly mistaken.