Superweeds: The Next Generation of GMO Crops, Herbicide Use and Associated Health Impacts

The safety of genetically engineered (GMO) crops whose ingredients can be found in most processed foods in the US, is debatable. As adoption of herbicide-tolerant GMO crops has grown, use of herbicides has increased and herbicide resistant weeds occurrence has risen. Using EPA and USDA data to analyze the rapid proliferation of GMO crops and affiliated pesticides in the US reveals the interdependent relationship between these two industries that is also fueling a crisis of weed resistance. As weeds developed resistance to glyphosate, total herbicide use increased by 81.2 million pounds (26%) between 2001 and 2010.

In an effort to fight the spread of glyphosate-resistant weeds, chemical companies have developed 2,4-D and dicamba-tolerant corn, soybeans and cotton. The USDA is currently in the final stages of considering the approval of 2,4-D-tolerant corn and soybeans. The crisis of herbicide resistant weeds caused by the over-reliance on glyphosate for broad control of weeds will not be solved with the intensified use of older, more toxic herbicides like 2,4-D and dicamba. In fact, the increased use of 2,4-D and dicamba could have serious health impacts on farmers, farm workers and the public as 2,4-D exposure has been linked to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and residues of 2,4-D on food have been linked to skin sores, liver damage and decreased immunity to environmental allergens.

More industry-led solutions will only perpetuate large-scale agriculture’s reliance on chemicals as the end-all be-all solution to weed and insect management, while instigating the rise of superweeds and threatening the environment and human health in the process.