"The Dr. Oz Show" Prompts 100,000 Signatures On Petition To Reject Highly Toxic Herbicide, Requiring The White House to Respond

NEW YORK, Oct. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- After garnering a response of 100,000 signatures on its petition, the three-time Emmy® award-winning, critically-acclaimed and nationally-syndicated The Dr. Oz Show is calling on President Barack Obama to block approval of the highly toxic herbicide Enlist Duo 2,4-D. 

Initiated from the Sept. 22nd episode of The Dr. Oz Show,  the petition created on the We The People site reached the number of signatures necessary to require the White House to forward the complaints to the appropriate oversight agencies and expedite a response. Regardless of whether the EPA approves the neurotoxic chemical for use this fall, the President can intervene and prevent its deployment by executive order.

"We are urging the President to intervene and prevent the EPA from allowing this highly toxic herbicide mix to threaten our nation's health," said Dr. Mehmet Oz.  "While it's important to find new and efficient ways to produce food, it should never be at the expense of our health. The 100,000 signatures is representative of popular concern over this dangerous herbicide and the urgency to find safer alternatives."

The mix of chemical herbicides known as "Enlist Duo" could mean as much as an additional hundred million pounds of chemicals would be used to produce corn and soybeans in the U.S., potentially putting families' health and the environment at risk. Earlier in the year, 35 prominent doctors, experts and researchers wrote to the EPA to express concern that communities living downwind of fields, and thousands of schools within 200 feet of corn and soybean fields, could be exposed.  The chemical 2,4-D, and the glyphosate herbicide combination developed by the Dow Chemical Company, has been linked to an increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, thyroid & reproductive problems, Parkinson's disease and neurological damage.  On July 31 of this year, 50 members of Congress wrote to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, urging them to reject the approval of Enlist Duo, citing its link to adverse health effects, as well as the agency's failure to properly assess the herbicide's risk to public health.  In addition, over 500,000 parents and citizens have also written to the EPA to express their grave concerns.

As part of the original broadcast on September 22^nd, The Dr. Oz Show solicited and received responses to several questions from the Environmental Protection Agency. While the toxicity of the herbicide was not disputed, the EPA in essence felt that widespread use of Enlist Duo 2,4-D posed no threat to public health if used within protocols. As the public waits for the EPA to announce its decision on whether to approve the chemical for use, raising awareness of the health risks is critical to spur action that can prevent Enlist Duo from widespread use.

About The Dr. Oz Show
The three-time Daytime Emmy® award-winning The Dr. Oz Show, hosted by the three-time Daytime Emmy award-winning host, Dr. Mehmet Oz, is now in its sixth season.  The Dr. Oz Show, which is currently seen in 118 countries worldwide, debuted domestically in 2009 with the biggest ratings in over a decade in daytime television.

Dr. Oz, the world-renowned cardiothoracic surgeon, served as health expert on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" since 2004, sharing advice with viewers to help them live their best life from the inside out. Dr. Oz has co-authored six New York Times Best Sellers including "YOU: The Owner's Manual", "YOU: The Smart Patient", "YOU: On a Diet", "YOU: Staying Young", "YOU: Being Beautiful" and "YOU: Having a Baby" as well as the award-winning "Healing from the Heart". He has a regular column in TIME Magazine and O The Oprah Magazine.  In 2014 he launched the highly successful magazine "Dr. Oz: The Good Life" with Hearst.  The magazine is published monthly.

Dr. Oz is vice-chair of the Department of Surgery and Professor of Surgery at Columbia University.  He directs the Cardiovascular Institute and Complementary Medicine Program at New York Presbyterian Hospital and performs 100 heart operations annually. His research interests include heart replacement surgery, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, complementary medicine and health care policy. He has authored over 400 original publications, book chapters, and medical books and has received several patents. 

Cleared in over 99% of the country, The Dr. Oz Show is co-produced by Harpo Productions and Sony Pictures Television (SPT) and distributed by SPT.  The Dr. Oz Show is executive produced by Mindy Borman and Amy Chiaro.  

About Harpo Studios
Harpo Studios is the award-winning production company created, inspired and led by Oprah Winfrey.  For 25 years, Harpo Studios produced the number one talk show, "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Harpo currently creates and produces over 130 hours of original television programming exclusively for OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.  Popular series include the Emmy award-winning "Oprah's Lifeclass" and "Super Soul Sunday," the Emmy award nominated "Oprah's Master Class," "Oprah's Next Chapter," "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" and "Iyanla: Fix My Life," as well as a variety of specials.  Harpo Print, LLC and Hearst Magazines publish the monthly O, The Oprah Magazine publication, credited as one of the most successful women's magazines today. Harpo Films develops and produces feature films; plus, Harpo Radio produces Oprah Radio featuring a broad range of daily programming available on Sirius Channel 204 and XM Channel 107.

About Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television (http://www.sonypicturestelevision.com), a Sony Pictures Entertainment company, is one of the television industry's leading content providers. It produces and distributes programming in every genre, around the world and for a multitude of platforms.  In addition to one of the industry's largest libraries of award-winning feature films, television shows and formats, Sony Pictures Television (SPT) boasts a current program slate that includes top-rated daytime dramas and game shows, landmark off-network series, original animated series and critically acclaimed primetime dramas, comedies and telefilms. In addition to its US production business, SPT has 18 wholly-owned or joint venture production companies in 13 countries and also maintains offices in 32 countries. SPT's worldwide television networks portfolio includes 126 channel feeds available in 168 countries, reaching more than 980 million cumulative households worldwide.  SPT also creates original content for and manages SPE's premium video website, Crackle. Additionally, SPT owns US production company Embassy Row and is a part owner of cable channel Game Show Network (GSN), 3D channel 3net, and national U.S media sales company ITN Networks, Inc.  SPT advertiser sales is one of the premier national advertising sales companies and handles the commercial inventory in SPT's syndicated series as well as the Rural Media Group and DoctorOz.com.

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