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Herbicide and Arsenic

A widely used weed killer, applied since the 1960s to golf courses and parks, is losing its federal approval because it leaves behind high levels of arsenic that can easily seep into drinking water supplies.

The herbicide, known as MSMA, is sold under 90 different brand names. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns that standard use of this herbicide leaves behind levels of arsenic that are significantly higher than federal safety standards allow following clean up of an arsenic spill.

Exposure to arsenic increases the risk for diabetes, heart disease and liver and lung cancer. The EPA estimates farmers and landscapers (such as golf course managers) spray 3 million pounds of MSMA or the similar DSMA, in the United States each year. In areas with shallow aquifers, the risk of having arsenic seep into drinking water supplies is significant.

Some golf course managers are fighting the government’s decision to pull the product from shelves, even though their own health may be at risk. Alternative chemicals are roughly six times more expensive than MSMA.

However, organic alternatives are also an option, and pose no risk to human health.

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To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org