Roundup is one of the most commonly used herbicides in the United States. In 2010 alone, nearly 92,000 tons were applied to corn and soy crops alone.
The use of this chemical compound is so ubiquitous that Monsanto developed a “Roundup Ready” strain of genetically modified crops, engineered to withstand – you guessed it – increased doses of Roundup.
Due to expensive marketing campaigns by its creators and supporters, Roundup is widely believed to be one of the less-toxic herbicides out there. However, new evidence suggests that the reality is just the opposite.
A new study, recently published in the journal Biomedical Research International, tested several pesticides, herbicides and fungicides as to their effects on human cells, at concentrations below those normally used in agriculture. The researchers set out to test the effects of these formulations in their entirety, not just based on their active ingredient.
The authors explain: “Pesticides are used throughout the world as mixtures called formulations. They contain adjuvants, which are often kept confidential and are called inerts by the manufacturing companies, plus a declared active principle (AP), which is the only one tested in the longest toxicological regulatory tests performed on mammals.” The “acceptable daily intake (ADI) is then often calculated based on tests focusing on this one active ingredient, instead of the formula as a whole.”
In other words, when determining the safety of Roundup, the majority of initial tests were performed on glyphosate, the active ingredient in this formula. When the research team of this new study tested Roundup as a whole, however, it found it to be 125 times more toxic than glyphosate, and one of the most toxic formulas in the entire study. Those “inert ingredients” are apparently not so inert, after all.
The study states: “It is commonly believed that Roundup is among the safest pesticides… However, Roundup was found in this experiment to be 125 times more toxic than glyphosate. Moreover, despite its reputation, Roundup was by far the most toxic among the herbicides and insecticides tested.
This inconsistency between scientific fact and industrial claim may be attributed to huge economic interests, which have been found to falsify health risk assessments and delay health policy decisions.”
A 2013 study published in the journal Entropy found that glyphosate alone has been linked to inflammation, cellular damage and increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and certain cancers, along with numerous other health issues. The study authors also state that traces of this chemical have been found in food, as it is so heavily distributed over numerous conventionally-grown crops, including soy, corn, wheat and sugar.
If glyphosate alone is this dangerous, and Roundup is 125 times more toxic, then what we don’t know about this common herbicide truly can hurt us.
-The Alternative Daily
Sources:
http://goo.gl/A9Dq10
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3955666
http://www.examiner.com/article/gmo-crops-increase-pesticide-use
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/25/roundup-herbicide-health-issues-disease_n_3156575.html
http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/4/1416
