Dicamba is a weed-killing chemical that is linked to colon cancer, lung cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and other side effects. Farmers and neighbors who are exposed to “dicamba drift” may develop health problems.
Need a Texas Dicamba Lawyer? Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged. If you or a loved one was diagnosed with cancer, you should contact our lawyers immediately. We would like to speak with you as part of our investigation into injuries related to dicamba.
UPDATE: EPA Officially Revokes Approval for Dicamba
On June 8, the EPA officially canceled approval for dicamba after the Ninth Circuit determined that the EPA broke the law when it ignored clear evidence that “dicamba drift” can cause widespread damage to nearby crops.
According to the EPA, farmers who bought dicamba products can use them until July 31. However, some states have imposed much earlier cutoff dates.
“Victory For Farmers” as Jury Awards $265 Million in Dicamba Drift Damage Lawsuit
In February 2020, a jury awarded over $265 million to a Missouri peach farmer who suffered years of crop losses as a result of drifting dicamba weed-killer.
The lawsuit was filed by Bill and Denise Bader, owners of Bader farms, who lost over 30,000 trees.
The Baders said their 5,000-acre family farm, which previously produced up to 6 million pounds of peaches, is now struggling to survive.
Monsanto is accused of selling dicamba-tolerant GMO soybean and cotton seeds that could be sprayed with dicamba. Lawyers say Monsanto knew that dicamba would damage nearby fields that were not planted with Monsanto’s GMO seeds.
The Baders claim that Monsanto intended to get farmers to buy the GMO seeds as a way to prevent crop damage from dicamba drifting off neighboring farmers who were planting GMO crops and spraying dicamba.
Tennessee Becomes 4th State to Restrict Dicamba
In July 2017, Tennessee joined Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas in restricting spraying of the weed-killing chemical dicamba. At least a dozen states have suffered millions of acres of crop damage as a result of illegal dicamba spraying since 2016. Click here to read more.
What is Dicamba?
Dicamba is a chemical that selectively kills broad-leafed weeds and woody plants, but not grass. It is very similar to another herbicide called 2,4-D. Both chemicals act like auxins, which are natural plant hormones that control growth. Dicamba and 2,4-D cause plants to grow in abnormal and uncontrollable ways, killing the plant.
What Products Contain Dicamba?
Dicamba is found in about 1,100 herbicides for agriculture, turf, and home gardening. It is sold under a variety of brand-names, including:
- Banvel
- Brushmaster
- Celebrity Plus
- Clarity
- Diablo
- EndRun
- Engenia
- Enlist
- Northstar
- Oracle
- Roundup Ready Xtend
- Sterling Blue
- Trimec
- Vanquish
- Weedmaster
- Xtend
- Xtendimax
Dicamba and Roundup (Glyphosate)
Dicamba is commonly used with glyphosate, the herbicide in Roundup. Over 90% of croplands in the U.S. are sprayed with glyphosate. The use of glyphosate skyrocketed with genetically-engineered (GMO) crops — but as weeds evolve to survive Roundup, companies like Dow AgroSciences and Monsanto have started using more dicamba and 2,4-D. Monsanto created Roundup Ready Xtend GMO soybeans that resist dicamba and glyphosate.
Arkansas Bans Dicamba Over Hundreds of “Dicamba Drift” Incidents
Dicamba is a lot more volatile than glyphosate, meaning dicamba is far more likely to go airborne and drift away from where it was applied. Dicamba drift can destroy 10-30% of a neighboring farmer’s crops. Even so, it was illegally sprayed on over 200,000 acres of soybeans in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Missouri in 2016. There were over 240 drift complaints in Arkansas alone, despite threats of up to a $25,000 fine per violation. In June 2017, the Arkansas Plant Board voted to ban the spraying of dicamba.
Symptoms of Dicamba Exposure
Dicamba is moderately toxic when it is swallowed. The symptoms of dicamba poisoning may include:
- Loss of appetite (anorexia)
- Vomiting
- Muscle weakness
- Slowed heart rate
- Shortness of breath
- Central nervous system effects (victim may become excited or depressed)
- Benzoic acid in the urine
- Incontinence
- Cyanosis (bluing of the skin and gums)
- Exhaustion following repeated muscle spasms
Dicamba is very irritating and corrosive to the eyes and exposure can cause vision loss or blindness. Breathing dicamba or skin exposure is less toxic. The following symptoms may occur if dicamba is inhaled or comes in contact with the skin:
- Dizziness
- Nose irritation
- Coughing
- Skin irritation
- Rash
- Eye irritation
Dicamba in the Body
Dicamba is not absorbed through the skin very well, but if dicamba is swallowed, it is absorbed by the body very quickly and eliminated rapidly in urine (mostly unchanged) in a few days. Children might be more sensitive to dicamba than adults, but this has not been studied.
Dicamba and Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
In 1992, a study of farmers by the National Cancer Institute found that dicamba exposure approximately doubled a farmer’s risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma 20 years after exposure. This finding is significant because glyphosate exposure is also associated with a higher risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in farmers.
Dicamba and Cancer
In 2006, a study of 41,969 pesticide-applicators found higher rates of lung cancer and colon cancer among pesticide-workers who sprayed dicamba on crops. Even so, the EPA classifies dicamba as “not likely to cause cancer in humans.”
There are two potentially carcinogenic contaminants in dicamba:
- 2,7-dichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin: It is closely related to the carcinogenic chemical 2,3,7,8-TCDD, which causes leukemia, lymphoma, liver cancer, and circulatory system cancer in rats.
- Dimethylnitrosamine: Dicamba contains small amounts of this chemical and it is known to cause cancer in laboratory animals.
Need a Dicamba Lawyer in Texas?
Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged.
Collen’s amazing success in the courtroom and well known dedication to his clients has earned him the recognition of his peers as one of The Top Trial Lawyers in Texas.”
The Clark Firm has assembled a team of trial lawyers with more than 100 years experience, participation in over 600 jury trials and $260 million in verdicts and/or settlements. Please use the form below to contact our Texas dicamba lawyers. We would like to speak with you as part of our investigation into injuries related to dicamba.
To contact us for a free review of your potential case, please fill out the form below or call us toll free 24 hrs/day by dialing: