>Two recent studies confirm the fact that the widely used herbicide 2,4-D does not present a cancer risk to farmers and other pesticide applicators.
The studies were conducted by researchers of the National Cancer Institute and reinforce the existing body of evidence that the product does not present a cancer risk to users.
The research was in an article published in the Journal of Occupational Environmental Medicine by A.J. DeRoos.
It shows that the cancer incidence from all sites was less than expected with an overall standardized incidence ratio of 0.80 (95 percent confidence interval 0.76, 0.83). An SIR of 0.80 means the cancer incidence among farmers and applicators is significantly lower than the cancer incidence in the general population.
The study also found that there is no association between the use of 2,4-D and prostrate cancer.
Since being first registered in the United States in 1946, the herbicide 2,4-D has become the most widely used agricultural herbicide in the world. It is used on many important crops that are an important element of a diet such as potatoes, wheat, barley, rice, soybeans and fruits.