A report released on Tuesday by a group of European scientists and professors thoroughly demonstrates that industry and government have been aware from at least the 1980s that glyphosate, the chemical on which Monsanto's Roundup weed killer is based, has repeatedly been shown in laboratory tests to cause serious birth defects in frogs, chickens, rats and rabbits. These birth defects, along with endocrine damage and cancer, were found when test animals were subjected to levels of glyphosate that are comparable to those found in food and the environment in the form of pesticide residue.
Furthermore, the report details emerging evidence of Roundup's toxicity to humans in South America, where it is used extensively. According to the report, one study has found glyphosate to be toxic to human cells, and doctors, activists, and scientists in South America are reporting increased rates of human birth defects in areas of high Roundup use.
Monsanto, DuPont, and a number of other corporate interests have been covering this up with the help of the incompetence, and possible cooperation, of the German Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL). Roundup was due to be reevaluated by the EU in 2012, but this date was recently pushed back to 2015.
The conclusions of this report, especially concerning the BVL's blatant disregard of scientific findings, are shocking. They demonstrate why public, independent, and peer-reviewed science regarding pesticides and transgenic crops is so vital to public health. These corporations are out to make a profit, apparently at whatever cost. When government fails to protect consumers, who will?
The report can be found at:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/57277946/RoundupandBirthDefectsv5
And an article outlining its findings is located at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/07/roundup-birth-defects-herbicide-regulators_n_872862.html?ref=fb&src=sp
Thanks for letting me know about this. I use Round-up but not around my vegetables. But now will completely stop using it and get rid of the weeds the old-fashioned way. Is there some less toxic way to rid of unwanted weeds/grass in hard to weed places like cracks in driveway or sidewalks etc.?
ReplyDeleteThanks
Good for you! There are a number of methods for getting rid of those weeds.
ReplyDelete1.) If you're looking to make something yourself you can follow one of the recipes for organic weed killer at: http://www.ehow.com/how_4863528_organic-alternatives-roundup-weed-killer.html
It would probably be best to use horticultural vinegar because it has a higher acidity (around 20%) and is more effective than household vinegar, which has a typical acidity between 3-5%. Vinegar will temporarily lower the pH of soil, but this shouldn't be a problem if you're trying to kill weeds in you sidewalk cracks. I have heard that repeated use can corrode concrete though...
2.) You could also purchase a natural weed-killer like "Burn Out II" or "Weed Aside."
Whichever method you use, weed-killing works best in hot weather when rain is not predicted for the next few days. In other words, it's prime weed-killing time in Memphis right now!
I hope that helps.