Commitment to Safety

Rows of soybeans

We work hard to ensure the safety of our herbicide products—for farmers, consumers and our planet.

As we strive to improve farmers’ ability to meet global demand for sustainably produced food, feed, fuel and fiber, we remain fully committed to ensuring the safety of our crop protection products – for humans, animals and the environment. Farmers need safe, reliable and effective herbicides to protect crops from damaging and invasive weeds that compete for water, soil nutrients and sunlight.

Enlist® herbicides have undergone rigorous regulatory review and safety testing to ensure they are safe. In fact, 2,4-D, a key active ingredient in Enlist One® and Enlist Duo®, is one of the world’s most studied active ingredients. More than 4,000 rigorous, peer-reviewed studies have been published confirming that when used as directed, 2,4-D products – including Enlist® herbicides – are safe for human and animal health, and for the environment. What’s more, they are specially formulated to be easy to use and apply – and to stay where they are sprayed.

View the safety studies

Stringent Regulatory Processes

Herbicide products used in the U.S. are subject to thorough and stringent regulatory processes by multiple government agencies to ensure they are safe for human, animal and environmental health. Companies must generate rigorous scientific data to understand the identity, composition, potential adverse effects and environmental fate of each pesticide and herbicide.

Agricultural products require more types of data for regulatory approval – human health, dietary and ecological – than pharmaceutical products do.


The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) evaluates herbicides to make sure they are safe for humans in a variety of ways – from reducing applicator exposure to limiting potential residue in food and water. The EPA does the same for animals and the environment. For example, the EPA requires that all new herbicide products pass an assessment to verify that use of the product won’t harm endangered and threatened species and critical habitats. In December 2023, Enlist One® and Enlist Duo® became the first herbicides to complete this comprehensive assessment.

 

Unique Formulation

Enlist® herbicides are formulated using 2,4-D with Colex-D® technology to reduce the potential for drifting of the products beyond the treated area. This innovative formulation also helps to prevent the product from volatilizing and ending up on nearby crops, fields or backyards. 

Enlist® herbicides are stable, with near zero volatility, meaning they do not easily volatilize, or turn into an airborne gas, when the temperature changes after application. They stay where they’re sprayed, do their job, and break down. They do not persist in the environment.

Farmers are business owners that use all available resources and training to maximize their use of chemicals and ensure safety. Corteva supports farmers with a full suite of services:

  • Our agronomists provide best-in-class training and ongoing support to ensure proper stewardship practices.  
  • We visit farms in-person to talk to farmers one-on-one about their needs, and to promote proper and effective use of herbicides.
  • Corteva provides additional educational resources including webinars, demo videos and ongoing support.

Why is Crop Protection Needed?

All farmers who use farms need to manage weeds, diseases and pests that can affect their crop yield.

Today the world faces the twin challenges of a growing population and changing weather patterns – more rain in some places, drought in others, extreme weather events and evolving pressures from disease, weeds and insects. So, at a time when we need more safe, nutritious and affordable food, it’s becoming harder and more expensive to grow food.

Agricultural innovations, including weed-control solutions like herbicides, help farmers and society make historic advances in the amount of food that can be grown using the same amount of land. Science-based innovations enable these advances with little to no impact on human, animal or environmental health.

Enlist® herbicides are among the latest innovations helping farmers do more with less. By reducing the amount of land, water and energy needed to grow crops, farmers can grow more food, to feed more people more affordably.  

Left uncontrolled, weeds would cut U.S. and Canadian corn and soybean production by about half.


The transgenic soybean event in Enlist E3® soybeans is jointly developed and owned by Corteva Agriscience LLC and M.S. Technologies, LLC. Enlist Duo® and Enlist One® are not registered for sale or use in all states or counties. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine of a product is registered for sale or use in your area. Enlist Duo and Enlist One are the only 2,4-D products authorized for use in Enlist crops. Always read and follow label directions.