permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [SANET-MG] alternatives to roundup
Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:57:59 -1000
From: Hector Valenzuela <hectoruh11@GMAIL.COM>
Reply-To: Sustainable Agriculture Network Discussion Group
<SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU>,              Hector Valenzuela
<hectoruh11@GMAIL.COM>
To: SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU

Hi all-

One of the reasons given that would prevent a ban on the use of Roundup, is
that there are few or no alternatives to the use of Roundup (ag, roadways,
etc.).

Coming from the agroecological or organic perspective, in Sanet we can
provide a host of alternative weed management techniques.

However, are there any specific practices, alternative herbicides, or
scientific studies that you could cite, as an alternative to the use of
Roundup?

Below, is a link to a list of potential health side-effects from exposure to
Roundup, taken from the recent open-source EU report.

Thank-you for any leads.

Hector Valenzuela
Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa

////////


For a link to a google document that highlights potential health effects
from exposure to roundup go to:
https<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
://<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
docs<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
.<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
google<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
.<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
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/<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
document<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
/<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
d<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
/1<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
FpOjzD<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
_5<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
UoPM<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
9-<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
ozbY<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
8<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
IyxGAQQkBTM<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
8<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
LEFzx<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
4<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
KZijng<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
/<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
edit<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
?<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
hl<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
=<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
en<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
_<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>
US<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US>

Let me know if you'd like me to send you a pdf copy of this document.

////////

Separately, Green Peace/GM Freeze has just come up with another important
report on both the health and environmental impacts from Roundup.
This new pub is available at:
http://www.gmfreeze.org/publications/briefings/114/

////////

********************************************************


See these URLs:

http://www.gmfreeze.org/publications/briefings/114/

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US&pli=1


https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FpOjzD_5UoPM9-ozbY8IyxGAQQkBTM8LEFzx4KZijng/edit?hl=en_US&pli=1

18.0. Nervous system: Roundup causes neurotoxic effects

“Neurotoxicity
The 2002 review of glyphosate claims “no relevant effects” in tests for 
delayed neurotoxicity. But glyphosate is an organophosphate, a class of 
chemicals known to have neurotoxic effects, so claims of “no relevant” 
neurotoxic effects demand a strong and transparent evidence base to back 
them up.

In fact, studies from the open literature have found neurotoxic effects 
of glyphosate:

    An epidemiological study carried out in Minnesota, USA found that 
the children of pesticide applicators exposed to glyphosate had an 
increased incidence of neurobehavioral disorders.291
    In an acute poisoning incident, a man who accidentally sprayed 
himself with glyphosate developed the neurological disorder Parkinsonism.292
    A toxicological study on rats found that glyphosate depletes the 
neurotransmitters serotonin (serotonin is associated with feelings of 
well-being and is known as the “happiness hormone”) and dopamine.293
    Glyphosate causes a loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential 
(a hallmark of cellular injuries) in rat brain cells.294
    Glyphosate and Roundup act synergistically with the organophosphate 
insecticide diazinon in neuroblastoma (nerve cancer) cells. Glyphosate 
and Roundup become more neurotoxic when the cells have been pre-exposed 
to diazinon. Roundup is more toxic than glyphosate and produces effects 
at a concentration as low as 10 ppb, which is equivalent to a glyphosate 
concentration of 0.5 nM. Unusual dose-response relationships are found 
with both glyphosate and Roundup, which the authors say merit further 
investigation as they indicate that the relationship between 
concentration and toxicity at low concentrations may not be entirely 
predictable.295”



references cited:
291. Garry, V. F., Harkins, M. E. et al. 2002. Birth defects, season of 
conception, and sex of children born to pesticide applicators living in 
the Red River Valley of Minnesota, USA. Environ Health Perspect 110 
Suppl 3: 441–449.
292. Barbosa, E. R., Leiros da Costa, M. D. et al. 2001. Parkinsonism 
after glycine-derivate exposure. Movement Disorders 16(3): 565–568.
293. Anadón, A., J. d. Pino, et al. 2008. Neurotoxicological effects of 
the herbicide glyphosate. Toxicology Letters 180S: S164.
294. Astiz, M., de Alaniz, M. J. et al. 2009. Effect of pesticides on 
cell survival in liver and brain rat tissues. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 
72(7): 2025–2032.
295. Axelrad, J. C., Howard, C. V. et al. 2003. The effects of acute 
pesticide exposure on neuroblastoma cells chronically exposed to 
diazinon. Toxicology 185(1–2): 67–78.
.

18.0. Nervous system: Roundup causes neurotoxic effects

“Neurotoxicity
The 2002 review of glyphosate claims “no relevant effects” in tests for 
delayed neurotoxicity. But glyphosate is an organophosphate, a class of 
chemicals known to have neurotoxic effects, so claims of “no relevant” 
neurotoxic effects demand a strong and transparent evidence base to back 
them up.

In fact, studies from the open literature have found neurotoxic effects 
of glyphosate:

    An epidemiological study carried out in Minnesota, USA found that 
the children of pesticide applicators exposed to glyphosate had an 
increased incidence of neurobehavioral disorders.291
    In an acute poisoning incident, a man who accidentally sprayed 
himself with glyphosate developed the neurological disorder Parkinsonism.292
    A toxicological study on rats found that glyphosate depletes the 
neurotransmitters serotonin (serotonin is associated with feelings of 
well-being and is known as the “happiness hormone”) and dopamine.293
    Glyphosate causes a loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential 
(a hallmark of cellular injuries) in rat brain cells.294
    Glyphosate and Roundup act synergistically with the organophosphate 
insecticide diazinon in neuroblastoma (nerve cancer) cells. Glyphosate 
and Roundup become more neurotoxic when the cells have been pre-exposed 
to diazinon. Roundup is more toxic than glyphosate and produces effects 
at a concentration as low as 10 ppb, which is equivalent to a glyphosate 
concentration of 0.5 nM. Unusual dose-response relationships are found 
with both glyphosate and Roundup, which the authors say merit further 
investigation as they indicate that the relationship between 
concentration and toxicity at low concentrations may not be entirely 
predictable.295”

references cited:
291. Garry, V. F., Harkins, M. E. et al. 2002. Birth defects, season of 
conception, and sex of children born to pesticide applicators living in 
the Red River Valley of Minnesota, USA. Environ Health Perspect 110 
Suppl 3: 441–449.
292. Barbosa, E. R., Leiros da Costa, M. D. et al. 2001. Parkinsonism 
after glycine-derivate exposure. Movement Disorders 16(3): 565–568.
293. Anadón, A., J. d. Pino, et al. 2008. Neurotoxicological effects of 
the herbicide glyphosate. Toxicology Letters 180S: S164.
294. Astiz, M., de Alaniz, M. J. et al. 2009. Effect of pesticides on 
cell survival in liver and brain rat tissues. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 
72(7): 2025–2032.
295. Axelrad, J. C., Howard, C. V. et al. 2003. The effects of acute 
pesticide exposure on neuroblastoma cells chronically exposed to 
diazinon. Toxicology 185(1–2): 67–78.


23.0. Roundup remains biologically active in the soil

“Incorrect claim about biological availability of glyphosate
The UK Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) notes that the issue of a 
waiting period between glyphosate spraying and re-entry into fields in 
order to protect humans, livestock, and plants, is not properly dealt 
with in Germany’s DAR. However, the PSD immediately dismisses this concern:
This should not be an issue for glyphosate as it is not usually 
biologically available once it contacts soil.349
But this claim was not true even at the time of the DAR. A 1983 study 
showed that glyphosate persists in sandy loam soil and is not 
inactivated in the 120 days prior to planting. Plants growing in the 
glyphosate-treated soil showed decreased nitrogen fixation, root nodule 
numbers and root weights – indicating that glyphosate was biologically 
available and toxic to plants 120 days after application.350
A new risk assessment should address the issue of the re-entry period.”

References cited:
349. EU Commission. 1999. Glyphosate: Comments from Pesticides Safety 
Directorate, York, UK, on the EC Monograph – ECCO 76. March 4. In: 
Glyphosate DAR, released by German government agency BVL on CD, 
FullReport_Glyphosat_04.pdf: p. 39 of the pdf.
350. Eberbach, P. L., Douglas, L. A. 1983. Persistence of glyphosate in 
a sandy loam. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 15(4): 485–487.

“Incorrect claim about biological activity of AMPA
Monsanto says AMPA’s long persistence in soil is of no “regulatory 
concern” because “AMPA is biologically inactive”.351 But a 2004 study 
showed that AMPA causes injury to glyphosate-tolerant and 
non-glyphosate-tolerant soybeans. Findings are the same when the AMPA is 
deliberately applied and when it forms from the breakdown of applied 
glyphosate. The study concludes that soybean injury to 
glyphosate-tolerant soybeans from glyphosate is due to AMPA formed from 
glyphosate degradation.352 Therefore AMPA is biologically active.
It is clear that the documents on which the existing approval of 
glyphosate is based are out of date and out of touch with current 
scientific knowledge and farmer experience.”


References cited:
351. EU Commission. 1999. Monsanto/Cheminova comments to Monograph 
(dated 11 Dec 1998). Feb 11. In: Glyphosate DAR, released by German 
government agency BVL on CD, FullReport_Glyphosat_04.pdf: p. 52 of the pdf.
352. Reddy, K. N., Rimando, A. M. et al. 2004. Aminomethylphosphonic 
acid, a metabolite of glyphosate, causes injury in glyphosate-treated, 
glyphosate-resistant soybean. J Agric Food Chem 52(16): 5139–5143.