North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Mark Angermayer" <hangermayer@isp.com>]

While it may be glyphosate is more dangerous than originally thought, it's
not at all convincing from the Mother Earth News article.  It would be
interesting to see what the scientists doing the research actually said, but
there were no citations in the article.  We are forced to rely on
environmental organizations and individuals to interpret the information for
us.

As an example, it's unclear what is meant that glyphosate and surfactants
amplify each other's effects.  Does it mean they've been tested and found to
amplify toxic effects inside the body, or that they amplify the each other's
uptake/absorption (which of course is the intended purpose of the
surfactant)?  Were these tests done on cells in culture, or on whole
organisms?

The EPA requires extensive endocrine and reproductive testing before a
pesticide is registered.  It would be interesting to see how this new
research stacks up against the research already done.

Mark

"All substances are poisons; there is none which is not a poison.  The right
dose differentiates a poison from a remedy."

Paracelsus- The Father of Toxicology



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Leslie Moyer" <>
To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2010 10:24 PM
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Safest Systemic Killer for Stump?


  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-Toxic
ity.aspx?utm_content=05.26.10+SLCS&utm_campaign=SLCS&utm_source=iPost&utm_me
dium=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