If you live in Champaign County, odds are you’re close to soybean fields – and to the weed killers sprayed on them.
A new analysis by Tufts University researchers found that 45% of the county’s residents lived near heavy 2,4-D use in 2023, nearly double the share in 2017. Statewide, farmers applied more than 2 million kilograms of the chemical that year – over four times the level recorded just six years earlier.
What worries experts is how much of this spray can end up beyond the fields. 2,4-D is known to drift off fields and seep into homes, where it can collect in dust and persist long after spraying. The study notes that in an 11-state review of pesticide poisoning cases, drift exposure accounted for the largest share of illnesses among farmworkers and nearby residents, with chlorophenoxy herbicides like 2,4-D linked to dozens of incidents.
Researchers have linked it to hormone disruption, cancer and developmental harm in children – risks that grow as spraying ramps up across the state.
Farmers applied 482,335 kilograms (about 1 million pounds) of 2,4-D to soybeans in 2017, compared with 2,190,914 kilograms (4.83 million pounds) in 2023 – a 341% increase, according to the study. Some counties saw jumps above 600% while the area of soybeans planted statewide has remained relatively stable over time.
Once the fourth most-used pesticide on soybeans, 2,4-D has climbed to second place in Illinois, trailing only glyphosate.
Researchers say the timing isn’t accidental: 2,4-D-resistant soybean varieties became widely available in 2019, encouraging greater use. Illinois, the nation’s top soybean producer, devotes more than 30% of its farmland to the crop.
The surge has heightened potential exposure for people living near farm fields. In Champaign County, the study’s focus, nearly 99% of residents live within 1 kilometer (about two-thirds of a mile) of at least 10 acres of soybean crops.
Researchers combined government crop maps, pesticide use reports, and census data to pinpoint where potential non-farm exposure is highest. They say the results could help health officials target testing, monitoring, and education efforts in the most affected areas.
Data Harvest (formerly Graphic of the Week) is Investigate Midwest’s way of making complex agricultural data easy to understand. Through engaging graphics, charts, and maps, we break down key trends to help readers quickly grasp the forces shaping farming, food systems, and rural communities. Want us to explore other data trends? Let us know here.
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