Milestone Herbicide Health Effects

Milestone Herbicide is a weed-killing product manufactured by Dow AgroSciences, a subsidiary of the Dow Chemical Company. Milestone is effective for killing invasive plants and noxious weeds and is used on pastures, roadside right-of-ways, parks, campgrounds, forestry areas, grass and wheat lands and wildlife habitats. With one exception, its health effects are mild or inconsequential.

Eye Irritation

• The most serious effect Milestone Herbicide has on humans is severe eye irritation, which can lead to corneal injury if the herbicide comes into direct contact with the eye. This contact could cause permanent impairment of vision, even blindness. Chemical burns of the eye may also occur.

Skin Irritation

• Although Milestone Herbicide is not meant for for household use and workers who manufacture or use the product are advised to wear protective clothing and equipment, the herbicide is not easily absorbed into the body. Even with prolonged skin exposure, aminopyralid is non-irritating.

Lung Damage

• Milestone Herbicide has a low toxicity and is not harmful when inhaled from dust. In fact, the average person would not be exposed to large amounts of airborne aminopyralid and only rarely and in small amounts, be exposed to the residue found on grasses and in some cases, in drinking water.

Cancer Or Birth Defects

• During EPA test studies, aminopyralid was not found to cause cancer or birth defects in laboratory animals. No toxicologically significant effects were reported as far as mortality or in blood and urine chemistry during exposure and after laboratory tests on healthy rats.