SEAFORD, Del.- A controversy is brewing in the food industry.
Many farmers are using a chemical called 2, 4-D to kill so-called "super weeds." But some critics say it could be harmful to consumers and are opting to call 2, 4-D by another well known name: Agent Orange.
The chemical manufacturer Dow AgroSciences said 2, 4-D has nothing to do with Agent Orange.
Irwin Handy, a farmer in Seaford, Del., said Tuesday the herbicide is the best thing to keep "super weeds" away while he tries to grow his crops.
Handy said the upkeep and maintenance is not easy. Delaware is the first state to see the particular kind of "super weeds" popping up.
"The grass has turned a little yellow and that's our problem," Handy said pointing at the spot where he grows his crops but where the weeds were also growing side by side.
Handy said the herbicide Round Up was not working so he had to turn to the other chemical.
"They ('super weeds') have become a problem but we can control them and if something new comes out then we will probably try it and see if it is more cost effective," he said.
Dow quotes the Environmental Protection Agency, which claims that there is no link between 2, 4-D and any form of cancer.
But according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2,4-D is associated with liver and kidney damage, and even death.
"My husband washes our grapes with soap and water and rinses them before we eat them," said shopper Angela Miller of Delmar, Md., "And I just couldn't imagine doing that with everything."
"It doesn't matter to me as long as it meets FDA approval I have full confidence in our country's ability to tell right from wrong," said Robert Dove of Laurel.
Handy said he just wants what is best for his crops; a solution that will keep "super weeds" away.
"The cost of herbicide naturally takes off of the bottom line and the bottom line is what we are all looking at," said Handy.
