For related articles and more information, please visit OCA's Health Issues page, Environment and Climate Resource Center page and our Honey Bee Health page.

Many pet guardians don't realize the potential for exposing their four-legged family member to environmental toxins like pesticides and herbicides. People also don't realize that after they apply a product to their lawn or garden, the chemical residues are tracked indoors on pet paws, and contaminate surfaces throughout their home.

A pesticide known as 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, or "2,4-D", was developed during World War II. It was one of two active ingredients in the notorious defoliant known as Agent Orange, used during the Vietnam War to destroy forest cover for our enemies, as well as their food crops. A tremendous amount of herbicide was sprayed over millions of acres of land in Vietnam from 1961 to 1972. Agent Orange was the most commonly used product, and it has since been revealed to cause a wide range of serious health issues, including rashes, psychological problems, birth defects, tumors, and cancer.

These days, 2,4-D is used on athletic fields, golf courses, landscaping, timberland, rights-of-way, and various crops. A short list of popular products containing 2,4-D includes:

• Bayer Advanced All-in-One Lawn Weed and Crabgrass Killer 
• Ortho Weed-B-Gon Max 
• Scotts Liquid Turf Builder 
• Sta-Green Phosphorus-Free Weed & Feed 
• Scotts Snap Pac Weed & Feed

 

• Despite decades of scientific studies associating 2,4-D with cancer in humans and animals, the chemical continues to be one of the top three pesticides sold in the U.S. More recent studies have linked the chemical to hormone disruption that increases the risk of birth defects and neurologic damage in children.