North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Leslie Moyer <unschooler@lrec.org>]

 On 9/28/10 6:42 PM, Matt Demmon wrote:
> Most people consider glyphosate (active ingredient in Roundup) to be
> one of the 'least toxic' of herbicides. It's supposedly not very
> persistent, and not very harmful to humans.
A true statement about "most people", I imagine, and I used to feel the 
same way. However, there has been plenty of information to the contrary. 
Here's an excerpt from a post I sent to another list earlier this spring 
that references the medical journal, Toxicology:

This is such an important topic in light of the huge increase in 
"Roundup Ready" seed use in the last few years.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/Roundup-Weed-Killer-Toxicity.aspx?utm_content=05.26.10+SLCS&utm_campaign=SLCS&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email

To protect our health, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
sets maximum legal residue levels for every pesticide, for dozens of 
crops. But a new study in the respected journal Toxicology has shown 
that, at low levels that are currently legal on our food, Roundup could 
cause DNA damage, endocrine disruption and cell death. The study, 
conducted by French researchers, shows glyphosate-based herbicides are 
toxic to human reproductive cells.

<<snip>>

"... If a pregnant woman were to be exposed early in gestation, it looks 
like these herbicides could have an effect during the sexual 
differentiation stage. They really lock in on testosterone.”

<<snip>>

Despite being termed “inert,” these added (and usually secret) 
ingredients are anything but benign, as the manufacturers have claimed 
for decades. The new French research found the surfactants not only 
amplify the effects of glyphosate, but glyphosate also amplifies the 
effects of the surfactants. Basically, one plus one equals something 
larger than two.

<<snip>>

More in the article at the link above and you can find more about 
glyphosate's toxicity--to humans and other biological creatures--if you 
begin to look around.

-Leslie