St. LOUIS — A research group says levels of the controversial and drift-prone weedkiller dicamba have more than tripled in the urine samples of people in the Midwest — even in urban areas.
Since 2017 — when the herbicide took on prominence and widespread use as an “over-the-top” spray for certain crops — there has been a more than 300% increase in levels of the chemical found in the urine of pregnant women in the region, according to the findings from the Heartland Health Research Alliance, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit.
The information was presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association in Boston, and raises questions and concerns about possible health risks tied to ambient levels of dicamba in the environment, particularly as sales of the weedkiller have surged.
