Monsanto-Bayer is ending U.S. glyphosate residential sales in 2023. This product was declared "probably carcinogenic" by the World Health Organization in 2015, and various lawsuits against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by various consumer advocates, including the Center for Food Safety (CFS), led to this change. For decades, glyphosate, the key ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, was considered safe because it only affected plants through the shikimate pathway. But bacteria in the human gut also use that pathway. In response to the CFS lawsuit, the EPA "effectively admitted grave errors in its 2020 interim registration of glyphosate, asking the court for permission to re-do the agency's faulty Endangered Species Act assessments." But the agency still wanted Roundup … [Read more...]
Groups Urge WHO to Set Safety Standards for Glyphosate
A coalition of groups, including Food & Water Watch, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Friends of the Earth are using the World Health Organization (WHO) to set safety standard for the herbicide glyphosate, found in RoundUp and other chemicals, that has been classified as carcinogenic. In a letter to the WHO, the coalition raised concerns about conflicts of interest on an expert advisory panel that could review the cancer classification. Three of the eight panel members have "financial and professional ties to the chemical industry, including Monsanto, the largest producer of glyphosate," according to Food & Water Watch. NRDC Health Program Director Erik Olson said in a statement, "The WHO is highly respected for protecting public health around the world,d and it … [Read more...]
WHO Finds Glyphosate “Probably Carcinogenic”
In March, scientists organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) found that the herbicide glyphosate, which is an active ingredient in Round-Up, is "probably carcinogenic to humans." Food and Water Watch, along with the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) are calling for an end to the U.S. backed program that sprays glyphosate on coca fields in Columbia. Adam Isaacson, senior associate for regional security policy at WOLA said, "there is now proof that the sprayings of glyphosate represent an unacceptable risk to the public. This has critical implications for a program that has been a cornerstone of U.S. drug policy in Colombia." The herbicide has been sprayed over more than 4 million acres in that country over the past 20 years. Glyphosate was considered safe for humans … [Read more...]
EPA Approves Dow’s Enlist Duo 2,4-D Herbicide
Against many objections from consumer advocates, food safety advocates, and environmentalists, the EPA approved Dow Chemical's Enlist Duo herbicide, a new blend of 2,4-D and glyphosate that will be used on Dow's GMO corn and soybeans. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, has been implicated in many diseases, including cancer. And 2,4-D is part of the chemical Agent Orange, used in the Vietnam War, that has sickened and killed many veterans. Dow developed Roundup Ready crops that were resistant to the herbicide. Those plants could be sprayed with Roundup and not be harmed. That use caused an explosion in Roundup resistant weeds. So Dow decided to develop more GMO crops that are resistant to this new herbicide. 2,4-D is linked to reproductive problems, Parkinson's disease, and … [Read more...]
USDA Takes Last Step in Approving Herbicide Tolerant Crops
The United States Department of Agriculture this week announced the final environmental impact statement (EIS) for corn and soybean plants resistant to 2,4-D. And Food & Water Watch said, "history will repeat itself." Dow's corn and soybean plants, known as "Enlist" varieties, are genetically engineered to be resistant to two herbicides: 2,4-D, an ingredient in Agent Orange, and glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. Environmental and food safety advocates are alarmed at the huge increase in pesticide use that accompanied the approval and planting of other Roundup Ready crops. The draft version of the environmental impact statement released in January 2014 by the government is the same as the new analysis. The agency did not address the risks Food & Water Watch … [Read more...]
Roundup May be Linked to Fatal Kidney Disease Epidemic
According to an article in Truthout.org, the herbicide Roundup, made by Monsanto, may be linked to a fatal kidney disease epidemic in Central America, Sri Lanka, and India. The disease is rampant among poor farmers in those areas. Those farmers have been exposed to herbicides and heavy metals for decades in the course of their work. Doctors are concerned because kidney disease has killed more people in El Salvador and Nicaragua than diabetes, HIV and leukemia combined in the last five years. CKDU is the second leading cause of death in men in El Salvador. The death toll is in the tens of thousands. The epidemic began about 20 years ago. The disease is called Chronic Kidney Disease, or CKDu, of unknown cause. Early studies conducted by scientists looked at heavy metals, pesticides, … [Read more...]
Extreme Levels of Roundup Found in GE Soy
A new study conducted at Arctic University of Norway and published in the June issue of Food Chemistry has found that there are "extreme levels" of Roundup, an herbicide, in genetically engineered soy. The soybeans were harvested in Iowa. High levels of Roundup were found on 70% of the GE soy plants. The Roundup Ready GM soy comprises 93 to 94% of U.S. soybean production. The plant is genetically modified to tolerate exposure to glyphosate-based Roundup during its entire growth cycle. Food Poisoning Bulletin has told you about issues with these plants before. Roundup interrupts the shikimate pathway in plants and kills them. Scientists used to think that made the chemical safe for humans, but it has been discovered that our gut bacteria, which are critical to our immune systems and … [Read more...]
Center For Food Safety Launches Campaign Against “Agent Orange” Crops
The Center for Food Safety is launching a campaign to stop Dow Chemical's so-called "Agent Orange" GMO crops. The genetically engineered corn and soybeans resist 2,4-D, a powerful herbicide that is one half of the chemical Agent Orange that caused illness and death in Vietnam veterans. The campaign includes a petition to USDA and President Obama, a website, and a video. Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of CFS said in a statement, "Dow Chemical has a long and troubling history selling dangerous chemicals and poisons, and now they are targeting our food supply. Monsanto isn't the only bad actor out there. Companies like Dow Chemical have gotten a free pass - but no longer. We are launching this campaign to give people the chance to fight back, to speak with one voice and stop Dow … [Read more...]
EPA Raises Glyphosate Concentrations on Food Crops
Last week the EPA let Monsanto raise the allowable concentrations of glyphosate on food crops, animal feed, and edible oils. The new regulation lets farmers use more of the chemical, which is the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup. Under the new regulation, forage and hay teff can contain up to 100 ppm (100,000 ppb) glyphosate; oilseed crops can contain up to 40 ppm (40,000 ppb) glyphosate, and root crops such as potatoes and beets can contain 6000 ppb glyphosate. Fruits can have concentrations from 200 ppb to 500 ppb glyphosate. These numbers are magnitudes higher than the levels some scientists believe are carcinogenic. The EPA has classified glyphosate as a Class D carcinogen, which means it either does not cause cancer in human beings or that its cancer-causing potential … [Read more...]
Ingredient in Roundup Weed Killer Found in Food
A peer-reviewed study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), published in Entropy, has found that residues of glyphosate, the main ingredient in the weed killer Roundup, have been found in food. Glyphosate is used on crops that are genetically engineered (GMO foods) to be "Roundup Ready". Monsanto scientists have claimed for years that Roundup is safe and non-toxic because it targets the shikimate pathway in plants, which is absent in animals. But this pathway is present in bacteria that live in human guts, which play an important role in human physiology, from immunity to synthesizing vitamins. The study's authors say that glyphosate does induce disease and is a "textbook example of exogenous semiotic entropy." Glyphosate inhibits detoxification of xenobiotics and … [Read more...]
