More Information on Glyphosate (aka RoundUp)
According to scientific information from an interview with Don Huber, retired emeritus professor of plant pathology, Purdue University, there is plenty of data to show that glyphosate raises concerns about toxins in food and that research has confirmed the link between glyphosate and Fusarium?
One example of a specific crop negatively impacted by glyphosate was a potato seed farmer in Minnesota who grows 1000 acres of seed potatoes. There was so much glyphosate in the potato tubers from a previous crop of Roundup Ready soybeans that the potatoes couldn’t be certified or used as seed. Mr. Huber also stated that he’d visited other farms that had typical glyphosate damage.
When asked if he’d agree with proponents of glyphosate that the chemical was benign, his answer was, “Absolutely not. That’s an outright mistaken notion. Glyphosate is the single most important agronomic factor predisposing some plants to both disease and toxins. These toxins can produce a serious impact on the health of animals and humans. Toxins produced can infect the roots and head of the plant and be transferred to the rest of the plant. The toxin levels in straw can be high enough to make cattle and pigs infertile.”
Mr. Huber went on to say that glyphosate is an intense mineral chelator. Manganese, copper, potassium, iron, magnesium, calcium, and zinc are essential to human health and all of them can be reduced in availability by glyphosate. Glyphosate reduces mineral nutrients in treated plants, which in turn causes a reduction in nutrient quality in food crops
Other research indicates a connection between various types of allergies and genetically modified organisms (Round Up Ready) that are bred to be able to stand higher amounts of glyphosate. Stomach lesions and other intestinal problems are only a few of those sited.
Reduction of micro nutrients in humans can caused a myriad of problems. Lack of magnesium can cause erratic heart rates. Low levels of zinc have been connected with prostate cancer and benign prostate enlargement. Below normal levels of calcium and magnesium can cause osteoporosis plus other bone and teeth problems.
Reduction in micro nutrient availability to plants lowers the plant yield per acre. Plant mineral supplementation increases the costs per acre to the producer, which in turn increases the costs of a crop that’s lower in nutrient value to the consumer.
When asked if he recommended using as small a dose of glyphosate as possible, Mr. Huber’s answer was: “If we continue to abuse the use of glyphosate, it’s just a matter of time before we see more serious negative ramifications. We will have increasing toxin levels in human food and animal feed crops, reduced nutrient values, and the direct presence of glyphosate in crops.”
“There are a lot of serious questions about the impacts of glyphosate that we need answers for in order to continue using this technology. I don’t believe we can ignore these questions any more if we want to ensure a safe, sustainable food supply and abundant crop production.”
RoundUp Herbicide has been touted, by Monsanto, as safe and environmentally friendly. Advertising by Monsanto has led the public to believe that RoundUp is “safe as table salt,” a marketing phrase used to describe it. If that is the case, why does their label read as follows?
Keep out of reach of children, harmful if swallowed, avoid contact with eyes or prolonged contact with skin. Remove clothing if contaminated. Spray solutions of this product should be mixed, stored and applied only in stainless steel, aluminum, fiberglass, plastic and plastic-lined steel containers. This product or spray solutions of this product react with such containers and tanks to produce hydrogen gas that may form a highly combustible gas mixture. This gas mixture could flash or explode, causing serious personal injury, if ignited by open flame, spark, welder’s torch, lighted cigarette or other ignition source. Avoid direct applications to any body of water. Do not contaminate water by disposal of waste or cleaning of equipment. Avoid contamination of seed, feed, and foodstuffs. Soak up a small amounts of spill with absorbent clay. Do not reuse container for any other purpose. (Roundup – Label, farmcentral.com – June 2001)
French researchers have found RoundUp causes reproductive problems and endocrine disruption at levels well below those found in agricultural uses.
The Women’s Cancer Resource Center (WCRC) and CHOSE (Coalition for a Healthy Oakland School Environment), showed that chemicals such as RoundUp (glyphosate) can result in reproductive damage as well as damage to the kidney and liver other studies show a link between the chemical and cancer.
Glyphosate is found in weed killers and may cause cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, nerve, and respiratory damage. “What you need to know about pest control,” Natural Health Magazine, May/June 2001)
One person I was talking to said he saw a man drink a cup of RoundUp to prove it was safe. I guess if someone desperately wanted to prove their stupidity, that would be a good way to do it.
