Rounding Up The Herbicide Debate

Dr. Mark Wiley | May 29, 2013

In these days of technical and scientific advancement, food is suffering. And so are we, the consumers of a new breed of science-food, or techno-food, and the toxic sprays and chemicals used to protect it. The big chemical companies are making millions of dollars in profits while the toll on our health is costing the rest of us millions of dollars and more. We may be living longer today than ever before in history, but our later years are lived in pain and poor health. Our quality of life is diminished; in no small part, it suffers from the food we are sold as natural when these foods are chemically laden and genetically modified.

I’ve written previously about the dangers of herbicides and pesticides sprayed on fruits and vegetables. There is even a dirty dozen list of foods to avoid; these contain the most traces of pesticides even after being washed and shelved for sale. It seems there is plenty more trouble in this area of the food supply.

You can read about GMO issues here and learn about the dirty dozen here.

Herbicide Dangers

In April, media attention focused on the fact that Roundup, the world’s most widely used herbicide, is linked to diseases like Parkinson’s and cancer, as well as to infertility.

The peer-reviewed report, published in the journal Entropy, includes the fact that residues of glyphosate — the chief ingredient in Roundup weed killer, sprayed over millions of acres of crops — has been found in the food we eat.

The researchers found that the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide may be “the most biologically disruptive chemical in our environment.” It isn’t just harmful or toxic; it’s “the most biologically disruptive chemical.” In spite of this, Monsanto claims that it is “dedicated to providing farmers the broadest choice of products and services that will help them produce more, conserve more and lead improved lives.” Really? Are we supposed to believe that?

The abstract from the study:

“Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup®, is the most popular herbicide used worldwide. The industry asserts it is minimally toxic to humans, but here we argue otherwise. Residues are found in the main foods of the Western diet, comprised primarily of sugar, corn, soy and wheat. Glyphosate’s inhibition of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes is an overlooked component of its toxicity to mammals. CYP enzymes play crucial roles in biology, one of which is to detoxify xenobiotics. Thus, glyphosate enhances the damaging effects of other food borne chemical residues and environmental toxins. Negative impact on the body is insidious and manifests slowly over time as inflammation damages cellular systems throughout the body. Here, we show how interference with CYP enzymes acts synergistically with disruption of the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids by gut bacteria, as well as impairment in serum sulfate transport. Consequences are most of the diseases and conditions associated with a Western diet, which include gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, autism, infertility, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. We explain the documented effects of glyphosate and its ability to induce disease, and we show that glyphosate is the ‘textbook example’ of exogenous semiotic entropy: the disruption of homeostasis by environmental toxins.”

In the very detailed study report, the researchers include a long list of potential conditions to which glyphosate, in combination with other environmental toxins, can contribute, including inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, depression, ADHD, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, multiple sclerosis, cancer, cachexia, infertility and developmental malformations. In fact, they state that the herbicide’s “negative impact on the body is insidious and manifests slowly over time as inflammation damages cellular systems throughout the body.”

The Bees Disappear

Another important environmental news story centers on the disappearance of honeybees. And this is a big deal. Without insects like bees, pollination of plants become problematic, a circumstance that threatens the very existence of plant life, including fruits and vegetables. Researchers and beekeepers alike say that the bees are dying and/or disappearing due to colony collapse disorder (CCD), which is linked to poisonous toxins in the chemicals sprayed on crops.

Three separate studies have recently been performed on this very serious issue. Two of them published in the journal Science connect the widespread use of neonicotinoids (particular types of pesticides) to CCD.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must reconsider its position on Bayer’s neonicotinoids, which it previously approved for use. Initially, in these use of these chemicals, plants and vegetable seeds are treated with the neonicotinoids. If the chemical stopped there, there might be no problem.
However, it seems the plant’s vascular system absorbs the pesticide, which is then expressed in the pollen and nectar that bees consume. The chemical then attacks the bee’s nervous system.

Pesticide Decisions

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a report that withholds final judgment on neonicotinoids. It says more research needs to be done. However, the European Union decided that the health of its citizens was threatened and announced a two-year ban on neonicotinoids, long enough for more information to be collected. Why aren’t U.S. agencies doing the same?

A new pesticide is available, however. It actually consists of soft drinks. Farmers in India have been spraying cola-flavored soft drinks on their cotton and chili fields instead of conventional pesticides.

This practice began with farmers in Andhra Pradesh and Chattisgarh states and has spread.

As recorded in the Deccan Herald newspaper, one farmer claimed: “I observed that the pests began to die after the soft drink was sprayed on my cotton.”

Devinder Sharma, one of India’s leading agriculturalists, has said: “Coke has found it right use.

Farmers have traditionally used sugary solutions to attract red ants to feed on insect larvae.”

The upshot is that companies like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo should stay in business producing their drinks as pesticides rather than as unhealthy drinks for human consumption. Cola is safer to handle than pesticides, safer for humans to ingest and can be washed off fruits and vegetables. It also costs a fraction of what Monsanto, Dow and other corporations charge for lethal chemical sprays.

Perhaps in 20 years, cola will replace chemical pesticides around the world for agricultural use. And then our grandkids will say, “You mean when you were a kid, you used to drink cola pesticide?” If only…

In the meantime, as the USDA and EPA struggle to balance business as usual against the need to protect human health, you should eat organic food and stop drinking soda. Those are better choices for your health.

http://easyhealthoptions.com/alternative-medicine/nutrition/rounding-up-the-herbicide-debate/

Here Comes Another GMO Corn And More Herbicide

Carl Lowe | May 01, 2012 | Comments 3


Dow Chemical is about to win approval for a new genetically modified organism (GMO), a type of corn that will allow farmers to spray massive amounts of a chemical weed killer called 2,4-D intended to wipe out pesky invasive plants. The new corn can survive 2,4-D. But many people question how well farmers and consumers will survive this planned escalation of agricultural chemical warfare.

Chemical Time Bomb

Dow’s intentions of selling its new GMO corn and the subsequent massive increase in use of the weed killer 2,4-D has raised a storm of controversy. Steve Smith, agricultural director of Red Gold, an Indiana tomato processor, has called the planned use of the new corn a “ticking time bomb.”

“We are all producers and people who have no problem with new technology. But we see this new piece of it having side effects we don’t think people have adequately thought of,” he tells Reuters.

Objections to the innovative corn, which Dow is calling Enlist, are especially strong among farmers who don’t use Dow’s herbicides but have lost crops to drifting residues of chemicals like 2,4-D.
“It’s a major issue for farm country,” says John Bode, a lawyer for food firms and farmers who want stricter regulations of the Dow corn and herbicides.

“Massive amounts of 2,4-D… can cause major changes, threatening specialty crops miles away,” Bode says.

Reuters also reports that farmers like David Simmons, who owns a vineyard in Indiana, have had serious damage to their crops from drifting 2,4-D originating in neighboring fields. “I’m faced with looking five years down the road. Is it even going to be profitable to grow grapes if I continue to get this damage every summer?” Simmons wants to know.

Health Effects

A few of the folks who are working against the new GMO corn call it “Agent Orange corn” because 2,4-D was an ingredient in that infamous herbicide sprayed during the Vietnam War. But Dow points out that the ingredient in Agent Orange that caused most of its health-threatening side effects (like cancer and birth defects) was another chemical, 2,4,5-T, which has been outlawed. The chemical 2,4-D in contrast is used by many consumers in their home lawn-care products.

On the other hand, Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch, warns: “Many studies show that 2,4-D exposure is associated with various forms of cancer, Parkinson’s disease, nerve damage, hormone disruption and birth defects. USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) must take these significant risks seriously and reject approval of this crop.”

The Environmental Protection Agency, however, says that 2,4-D has not been shown to cause cancer in humans. And The New York Times reports that farmers like Brooks Hurst, who grows corn in Missouri, are urging approval of the GMO corn. “I think it’s a crisis and we need something to have a solution to get rid of resistant weeds,” Hurst says.

The Times also reports that this corn is only the initial phase of a new Dow program to introduce many 2,4-D ready crops. Soon to come are cotton and soybeans that will be suitable for the herbicide. They report that Monsanto is working on soybeans, corn and cotton that can tolerate similar herbicides.

Herbicide In The Air

No one can be sure of the long-term effects of the use of these crops and weed killers. There are reports that 2,4-D is especially prone to vaporizing and traveling in the air for long distances.
“This volatilization thing is a situation we’ve never had to face before on a widespread basis,” Smith told The Times.

Smith is worried that applications of 2,4-D made late in the growing season when temperatures climb will increase the spread of the questionable chemical.

But Dow’s spokespeople insist that their new formulas for 2,4-D will minimize volatization.
“This is going to be a solution that we are looking forward to bringing to farmers,” says Joe Vertin, a Dow spokesperson. But organic farmers and others concerned with the degradation of the environment and the subsequent health risks are uneasy.

http://www.easyhealthoptions.com/alternative-medicine/here-comes-another-gmo-corn-and-more-herbicide/