Pesticide Impurities

by George Claxton
Did you ever notice that most pesticides do not have impurities listed. A new study from Australia tested the impurities in two forms of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. 2,4-D was half of the herbicide Agent Orange. The manufacturers would have the world believe that 2,4-D contained no toxins such as Polychlorinated Dioxins or Polychlorinated Difurans.

The study titled "Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins and Dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs. Impurities in Pesticides: A Neglected Source of Contemporary Relevance". This was published in the journal "Environmental Science and Technology", accepted June 7, 2010. The authors were Eva Holt, et al.

The authors stated that "PCDD/F impurities were present in all samples". Also, "Preliminary estimates of PCDD/F release suggest that contaminated pesticides represent an important ongoing PCDD/F source to the Australian Government". These results may have global relevance given that many of the pesticides analyzed were imported into Australia, and are used in high volumes in other countries".