Roundup - a converging pattern of toxicity from farm to clinic to laboratory

[appal_jack]

Roundup - a converging pattern of toxicity from farm to clinic to laboratory
Dr Eva Sirinathsinghji / ISIS

25th February 2015

Glyphosate, perhaps surprisingly for a chemical so ubiquitously associated with our food, was not first used as an agricultural chemical.

Instead it was first patented as a metal chelator in 1964 by Stauffer Chemical company (US 3160632 A) and used as an industrial pipe cleaner.

(snip)

Glyphosate is teratogenic - according to Monsanto's own data

Monsanto's own toxicology tests submitted to the EU commission showed evidence of teratogenicity (see EU Regulators and Monsanto Exposed for Hiding Glyphosate Toxicity, SiS51). The submitted test reports describe rats and rabbits with skeletal abnormalities including the development of a 13th rib in offspring, as well as cardiac abnormalities.

Scientific studies such as that of the late Professor Andrés Carrasco reporting neural tube birth defects in frog and chick embryos exposed to agricultural concentrations of glyphosate have validated both Monsanto's findings and clinical observations (see also Lab Study Establishes Glyphosate Link to Birth Defects, SiS48).

Probing into the mechanisms underlying the defects, Carrasco discovered that glyphosate disrupted retinoic acid activity, a well-known regulator of developmental processes.

Much, much more in the full article:

http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2769439/roundup_a_converging_pattern_of_toxicity_from_farm_to_clinic_to_laboratory.html

The author's organization, ISIS (no, not the Islamist Terrorists... the 'Institute of Science In Society') is often considered controversial, but has also been mighty prescient at times on GMO issues, etc. Posted here for discussion.

My own take thus far is that Glyphosate appears to be considerably less toxic than many other herbicides (Atrazine, 2,4 D, etc.). However, we presently use so much more glyphosate than any other herbicide that caution and further investigations are warranted. I certainly won't use the stuff on my own property, but many of my neighbors do.

-app

[KT2000]

1. Wish they would ban it

so many use it and homeowners are notorious for using more than the label instructs. Lots of 2,4-D is used in my neighborhood too.

[appal_jack]

2. In my region, there do seem to be a few uses that are net-positives.

Basically, for Christmas Tree fields (and perhaps other types of orchards), glyphosate can be used at 4-6 oz. per acre (1/4 to 1/3 the label rate) in order to replace mechanical mowing with a 'roof mower' type of walking brush hog. Saves a lot of fuel and expense, plus it's easier to train a worker to spray than it is to handle one of those roof mower beasts.

Also, low-dose RoundUp or "chemical mowing" (as the practice is often called) tends to favor good broad leaf ground covers such as clover, yarrow, mustards, etc., while mechanical mowing even only once every month or two would favor grasses, which compete with the trees more and support pollinators and beneficial insects less.

We are surely over-using glyphosate, but I still wonder whether there could be rates and applications where its use prevents worse environmental impacts?

Now, 2,4 D and Atrazine? Ban those mf'ers like yesterday.

-app

[appal_jack]

3. kick for the afternoon crowd... nt