Allona G.

Reasol

March 3,2016

Bio 22.1 YB
I.

2,4-D
2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, commonly known as 2,4-D, is a widely used

herbicide in the phenoxy (or phenoxyacetic acid) class of chemicals. It is the most
commonly used pesticide in the non-agricultural sector and one of the top ten most
commonly used in the agricultural sector. 2,4-D was first registered in the U.S. in the
late 1940s, and is infamously known as one of the two ingredients in Agent Orange (the
other being 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T) a dangerous mixture used by
the military to defoliate Vietnams forests during the Vietnam War. 2,4-D is a general
use pesticide. It can be used on a variety of food/feed sites including field, fruit, and
vegetable crops. Most of its use occurs on turf and lawns, with products marketed as
weed and feed a combinationof herbicide and fertilizer. Other use sites include rightsof-way, aquatic environments, and forestry applications. Its mode of action, 2,4-D is a
selective herbicide used to kill broadleaf weeds for post-emergent control. It is a plant
growth regulator, and mimics the natural plant growth hormone, auxin. 2,4-D remains at
high levels within plant tissues and causes rapid cell growth. Plants die when their
vascular transport systems become blocked and destroyed by abnormally fast growth.
While 2,4-D is normally applied to a plants leaves, it can be absorbed through the roots
and stems.
ChemicalWATCH Stats:
CAS Registry Number: 94-75-7
Trade Name: Crossbow GlyMIX MT, Grazon P+D, Pathway, Aqua-Kleen, Barrage,
Malerbane Weedone, Ortho Weed B Gon, Spectracide, Weedtrine- II
Use: Fruit and vegetable crops, turf, lawns, rights-of-way, aquatic sites, forestry
applications, post-emergence broadleaf weeds, plant growth regulator in citrus.
Toxicity rating: Toxic.
Health Effects: Sensitizer/Irritant, Carcinogenicity, Endocrine Disruption,
Developmental and Reproduction, Neurotoxicity. Environmental Effects: Long Rang
Drift, Weed Resistance, Water Contaminant, Toxic to Birds, Toxic to Fish/Aquatic
Organisms, Toxic to Bees, Harmful to Pets.

II.

Agent Orange
Agent Orange also known as Herbicide Orange (HO) is one of the herbicides and

defoliants used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation
Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. It was a mixture of equal parts
of two herbicides, 2, 4, 5-T and 2,4-D.
Agent Orange was manufactured for the U.S. Department of Defense primarily
by Monsanto Corporation and Dow Chemical. It was given its name from the color of the
orange-striped barrels in which it was shipped, and was by far the most widely used of
the so-called "Rainbow Herbicides".The 2,4,5-T used to produce Agent Orange was
contaminated with 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD), an extremely toxic dioxin
compound. In some areas, TCDD concentrations in soil and water were hundreds of
times greater than the levels considered safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency.
In the American effort to fight an invisible enemy who hid in the jungles while
living of the land, some 5 million acres of mangrove and upland forest were defoliated,
meanwhile 500,000 acres of crops were also destroyed. Cambodia and Laos were
sprayed and affected to a lesser extent. However, two-thirds of these herbicides were
contaminated with TCDD, a form of dioxina highly toxic substance linked to at least
15 classes of cancer and other medical conditions, as well as several birth defects.
The Agent Orange Record tries to show, the complete story of the Vietnam Wars
most devastating defoliant: its history; its impact, intended and otherwise, on Vietnam;
and its completely unintended impact on the United States. The Record also describes
the efforts to repair the damage from the herbicides to the land and to the people of
Vietnam, to the United States, and to the other places that the toxic legacy of Agent
Orange remains.

III.

Bto
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a spore forming (flash animation) bacterium that

produces crystals protein (cry proteins), which are toxic to many species of insects. It
can be found almost everywhere in the world. Surveys have indicated that Bt is
distributed in the soil sparsely but frequently worldwide. And has been found in all types
of terrain, including beaches, desert, and tundra habitats.
Bt belongs to the family of bacteria, Bacillus cerus (B. cerus). B. cerus strains
produce toxins that cause gastroenteritis (food poisoning) in humans. Bt is differentiated
from B. cerus because it contains a plasmid (flash animation) that produces the protein
crystals that are toxic to insects. Bt does not cause food poisoning.
How does it work? Bt has to be eaten to cause mortality. The Bt toxin dissolve in
the high pH insect gut and become active. The toxins then attack the gut cells of the
insect, punching holes in the lining. The Bt spores spills out of the gut and germinate in
the insect causing death within a couple days. t action is very specific. Different strains
of Bt are specific to different receptors in insect gut wall. Its toxicity depends on
recognizing receptors, damage to the gut by the toxin occurs upon binding to a receptor.
Its safety?Bt products are found to be safe for use in the environment and with
mammals. The EPA (environmental protection agency) has not found any human health
hazards related to using Bt. Bt has not been shown to have any chronic toxicity or any
carcinogenic effects. There are also no indication that Bt causes reproductive effects or
birth defects in mammals. Bt breaks down readily in the environment. Because of this Bt
poses no threat to groundwater. Bt also breaks down under the ultraviolet (UV) light of
the sun.

References:
2, 4 D . ChemicalWatch Factsheet. (2011) Retrieved March 02, 2016 from
https://www.beyondpesticides.org/assets/media/documents/pesticides/factsheets/2-4D.pdf
Agent

Orange. (2016, February 29). Retrieved

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange.

Agent

Orange Record. (2010). Retrieved

http://www.agentorangerecord.com/home/

March

March

02,
02,

2016,
2016,

from
from

Bacillus thuringiensis: Biology, Ecology and Safety, Glare, T.R., O'Callaghan, M. (2000)
ISBN 0-471-49630-8.
What

is
Bt.
(2012).
Retrieved
http://www.bt.ucsd.edu/what_is_bt.html.

March

02,

2016,

from