Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

#13 New Evidence Establishes Dangers of Roundup
http://www.projectcensored.org/censored_2007/
Sources:

Third World Resurgence, No. 176, April 2005
Title: “New Evidence of Dangers of Roundup Weedkiller”
Author: Chee Yoke Heong

Faculty Evaluator: Jennifer While
Student Researchers: Peter McArthur and Lani Ready

New studies from both sides of the Atlantic reveal that Roundup, the most
widely used weedkiller in the world, poses serious human health threats.
More than 75 percent of genetically modified (GM) crops are engineered to
tolerate the absorption of Roundup—it eliminates all plants that are not
GM. Monsanto Inc., the major engineer of GM crops, is also the producer of
Roundup. Thus, while Roundup was formulated as a weapon against weeds, it
has become a prevalent ingredient in most of our food crops.

Three recent studies show that Roundup, which is used by farmers and home
gardeners, is not the safe product we have been led to trust.

A group of scientists led by biochemist Professor Gilles-Eric Seralini from
the University of Caen in France found that human placental cells are very
sensitive to Roundup at concentrations lower than those currently used in
agricultural application.

An epidemiological study of Ontario farming populations showed that
exposure to glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup, nearly doubled the
risk of late miscarriages. Seralini and his team decided to research the
effects of the herbicide on human placenta cells. Their study confirmed the
toxicity of glyphosate, as after eighteen hours of exposure at low
concentrations, large proportions of human placenta began to die. Seralini
suggests that this may explain the high levels of premature births and
miscarriages observed among female farmers using glyphosate.

Seralini’s team further compared the toxic effects of the Roundup formula
(the most common commercial formulation of glyphosate and chemical
additives) to the isolated active ingredient, glyphosate. They found that
the toxic effect increases in the presence of Roundup ‘adjuvants’ or
additives. These additives thus have a facilitating role, rendering Roundup
twice as toxic as its isolated active ingredient, glyphosate.

Another study, released in April 2005 by the University of Pittsburgh,
suggests that Roundup is a danger to other life-forms and non-target
organisms. Biologist Rick Relyea found that Roundup is extremely lethal to
amphibians. In what is considered one of the most extensive studies on the
effects of pesticides on nontarget organisms in a natural setting, Relyea
found that Roundup caused a 70 percent decline in amphibian biodiversity
and an 86 percent decline in the total mass of tadpoles. Leopard frog
tadpoles and gray tree frog tadpoles were nearly eliminated.

In 2002, a scientific team led by Robert Belle of the National Center for
Scientific Research (CNRS) biological station in Roscoff, France showed
that Roundup activates one of the key stages of cellular division that can
potentially lead to cancer. Belle and his team have been studying the
impact of glyphosate formulations on sea urchin cells for several years.
The team has recently demonstrated in Toxicological Science (December 2004)
that a “control point” for DNA damage was affected by Roundup, while
glyphosate alone had no effect. “We have shown that it’s a definite
risk factor, but we have not evaluated the number of cancers potentially
induced, nor the time frame within which they would declare themselves,”
Belle acknowledges.

There is, indeed, direct evidence that glyphosate inhibits an important
process called RNA transcription in animals, at a concentration well below
the level that is recommended for commercial spray application.

There is also new research that shows that brief exposure to commercial
glyphosate causes liver damage in rats, as indicated by the leakage of
intracellular liver enzymes. The research indicates that glyphosate and its
surfactant in Roundup were found to act in synergy to increase damage to
the liver.

UPDATE BY CHEE YOKE HEONG
Roundup Ready weedkiller is one of the most widely used weedkillers in the
world for crops and backyard gardens. Roundup, with its active ingredient
glyphosate, has long been promoted as safe for humans and the environment
while effective in killing weeds. It is therefore significant when recent
studies show that Roundup is not as safe as its promoters claim.

This has major consequences as the bulk of commercially planted genetically
modified crops are designed to tolerate glyphosate (and especially
Roundup), and independent field data already shows a trend of increasing
use of the herbicide. This goes against industry claims that herbicide use
will drop and that these plants will thus be more
“environment-friendly.” Now it has been found that there are serious
health effects, too. My story therefore aimed to highlight these new
findings and their implications to health and the environment.

Not surprisingly, Monsanto came out refuting some of the findings of the
studies mentioned in the article. What ensued was an open exchange between
Dr. Rick Relyea and Monsanto, whereby the former stood his grounds.
Otherwise, to my knowledge, no studies have since emerged on Roundup.

For more information look to the following sources:
Professor Gilles-Eric, criigen@ibfa.unicaen.fr
Biosafety Information Center, http://www.biosafety-info.net
Institute of Science in Society, http://www.i-sis.org.uk