Monsanto Mayhem

While the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mulls whether to restrict the use of glyphosate (active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup herbicide) amidst cancer concerns, Monsanto faces increasing lawsuits over environmental and health damages caused by their past manufacture of PCBs and for selling farmers dicamba-resistant GE crops, which resulted in crop losses due to illegal dicamba spraying.

27 December 2017

Story at-a-glance

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency held a series of public meetings to review evidence that glyphosate may cause cancer in humans
• Biotech trade group CropLife America has been weighing in heavily on the EPA’s decision and even succeeded in getting a supposedly “anti-industry” expert removed from the EPA’s advisory panel
• Washington became the first U.S. state to sue Monsanto over PCB pollution, noting that despite millions of dollars spent by the state for cleanup, the chemicals are still causing harm to protected salmon and orcas
• Missouri’s largest peach farmer is suing Monsanto for damage caused by dicamba drift; Monsanto sold dicamba-tolerant cotton and soybean seeds to farmers before the herbicide designed to go with them had gotten federal approval, which led to some farmers spraying older, drift-prone and illegal formulations of dicamba

By Dr. Mercola

In March 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is the research arm of the World Health Organization (WHO), determined glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup herbicide, to be a "probable carcinogen" (Class 2A).

This determination was based on evidence showing the popular weed killer can cause non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and lung cancer in humans, along with "convincing evidence" it can also cause cancer in animals.

Monsanto has maintained that the classification as a carcinogen is wrong and continues to tout glyphosate (and Roundup) as one of the safest pesticides on the planet. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), meanwhile, has yet to take an official position regarding the virtually unchecked use of this poison on U.S. soil.

The EPA postponed — at the behest of the industry — a series of public meetings it intended to hold earlier this year to discuss glyphosate research, particularly that linking it to cancer. In December 2016, those meetings finally took place.

Will the EPA Side With Industry or Move to Protect Americans' Health?

More than 250,000 public comments were filed with the EPA prior to the glyphosate meetings, at which another 10-plus hours of in-person public commentary is expected from scientists, activists and industry giants.

"The exercise is academic by design, but powerful economic forces are hard at work hoping to influence the outcome," The Hill reported, adding:1

"An official regulatory nod to cancer concerns could be devastating to Monsanto's bottom line, not to mention its planned $66 billion merger with Bayer AG, as well as to other agrichemical companies that sell glyphosate products.

Monsanto is also facing more than three dozen lawsuits over glyphosate cancer concerns and needs EPA backing to defend against the court actions."

Already, in September 2016, the EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs released its glyphosate issue paper to evaluate the chemical's carcinogenic potential,2 in which it proposed glyphosate was not likely to be carcinogenic to humans.

Many experts disagree, however, and have suggested glyphosate is not only a probable cause of cancer in humans but also a "likely cause."

In a review published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, a team of scientists thoroughly reviewed the research behind the IARC's ruling, noting an association between glyphosate and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was found based on available human evidence.3

Associations between the chemical and rare kidney tumors, genotoxicity and oxidative stress and even DNA damage in the blood of exposed humans were also revealed.

EPA Removed 'Anti-Industry' Scientist From Panel at Industry's Request

After the public commentary period and meetings end, a scientific advisory panel will get to work offering the EPA its best sound scientific advice on whether glyphosate poses a risk of cancer to humans. At least, that's how it's supposed to work.

But industry is working hard to ensure that any science not on their side is overlooked by their friends in high places. Biotech trade group CropLife America is one group worth watching. They've launched a "full-fledged assault" against the team of IARC scientists who determined glyphosate's carcinogenic status.

Not only is CropLife trying to get IARC's U.S. funding cut, but it's demanding the EPA reject IARC's classification of glyphosate and allow for its continued virtually unchecked use in the U.S. First they tried to convince the EPA to forgo the scientific meetings over glyphosate entirely.

When that didn't work (although they did succeed in getting the EPA to postpone the meetings for several months), they sent the EPA criteria to use in selecting their expert panel.

After the EPA panel was in place, they told the EPA to remove epidemiologist Peter Infante, doctor of public health, saying he was biased against the industry. The EPA complied, even though Infante denied the allegations, but gave no explanation as to why the expert consultant was removed.4

This, coupled with an earlier snafu in which the EPA posted, then promptly removed, a favorable glyphosate safety assessment, has left environmental and consumer groups doubtful that the EPA will uphold its mission to protect public health. Patty Lovera, assistant director of the advocacy group Food & Water Watch, told The Hill:5

"Their track record is awful … We don't want to throw in the towel entirely. We want to try to hold them to their mission. But there is clearly evidence of industry influence. They aren't doing anything to inspire confidence that they're taking a serious look at this."

Does Glyphosate Contribute to Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS)?

MIT scientist Stephanie Seneff and colleagues have published a new study detailing the mechanism by which glyphosate may contribute to the fatal neurodegenerative disease ALS.

A significantly increased risk of ALS has been noted in glyphosate-exposed workers.

The disease involves several protein mutations in glycine-rich regions, and the researchers suggested glyphosate may play a role in ALS by mistakenly substituting for glycine, an amino acid essential for the synthesis of DNA, during protein synthesis as well as by disrupting mineral homeostasis and setting up a state of gut dysbiosis.6They wrote in the Journal of Bioinformatics and Proteomics Review:7

" … [W]e paint a compelling view of how glyphosate exerts its deleterious effects, including mitochondrial stress and oxidative damage through glycine substitution.

Furthermore, its mineral chelation properties disrupt manganese, copper and zinc balance, and it induces glutamate toxicity in the synapse, which results in a die-back phenomenon in axons of motor neurons supplying the damaged skeletal muscles."

Monsanto Sued Over PCB Pollution

Monsanto's mayhem doesn't start or end with glyphosate, unfortunately. Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) were produced from the 1930s through the 1970s.

Their high burning temperature made them a sought-after chemical for use as fire retardants and insulators, primarily in electronic devices although also in plastics, flooring and other industrial products.

After an estimated 1.5 billion pounds of PCBs were manufactured in the U.S. — the majority by Monsanto — it was revealed that they're incredibly toxic and persistent in the environment.

They were finally banned in 1979 after their carcinogenic potential and ability to accumulate in the environment were revealed; however, their toxicity was known to Monsanto long before that, perhaps as early as the 1950s and likely by 1970.8

PCBs have also been linked to infertility and reproductive and endocrine damage along with neurological effects, including damage to learning and memory. They're known neurodevelopmental toxins as well.

Monsanto (and Monsanto-related entities) is now facing at least 700 lawsuits on behalf of people who claim their exposure to PCBs caused non-Hodgkin lymphoma.9

In December 2016, Washington became the first U.S. state to sue Monsanto over PCB pollution. The state is seeking damages on several grounds, including Monsanto's failure to warn about PCBs, and its negligence and trespass for harming the state's natural resources.

Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson said they expect to win hundreds of millions or billions of dollars from Monsanto, noting that despite millions of dollars spent by the state for cleanup, the chemicals are still causing harm to protected salmon and orcas. As reported by CBS News, Ferguson stated:10

"It is time to hold the sole U.S. manufacturer of PCBs accountable for the significant harm they have caused to our state … Monsanto produced PCBs for decades while hiding what they knew about the toxic chemicals' harm to human health and the environment."

In addition, an increasing number of U.S. cities, including Seattle, Washington, Spokane, Washington and San Diego, San Jose, Oakland and Berkeley, California, have filed lawsuits against the company for causing disastrous environmental pollution.

Peach Farmer Sues Monsanto Over Illegal Dicamba Drift

As an increasing number of weeds develop resistance to glyphosate, biotech giants are working on a number of new GE crops that are "stacked" with a number of genetically engineered (GE) traits that, for instance, make the crops resistant to multiple pesticides.

Monsanto's new GE Roundup Ready Xtend soybean, for instance, is not only resistant to Roundup but to the herbicide dicamba, which is prone to drifting, as well. The U.S. EPA approved Monsanto's new weedkiller, XtendiMax, which goes along with its Roundup Ready Xtend cotton and soybeans — GE plants designed to tolerate both glyphosate and dicamba — in November, 2016.

However, Monsanto sold dicamba-tolerant cotton and soybean seeds to farmers before the herbicide designed to go with them (which is supposedly less prone to drifting) had gotten federal approval. Earlier this year, when farmers sprayed their new GE crops with older, illegal formulas of dicamba, and it drifted over onto their neighbors' non-dicamba-resistant crops, devastating crop damage was reported in 10 states.11

Bader Farms, Missouri's largest peach grower, is now suing Monsanto, claiming that dicamba drift damaged more than 7,000 of their peach trees in 2015, adding up to $1.5 million in losses, and another 30,000 trees, totaling millions in losses, in 2016.12

Dicamba Drift Leads to Alleged Murder

Tensions are rising as an increasing number of desperate farmers plant Monsanto’s dicamba-resistant crops and spray the damaging herbicide illegally without permits. In November 2016, a dispute over dicamba drift turned deadly, when Arkansas soybean and cotton farmer Mike Wallace was allegedly fatally shot by another farmer.

Wallace had complained to the Arkansas Plant Board that his crops were damaged by dicamba, which had drifted over after being sprayed on a farm just over the state border in Missouri. Allan Curtis Jones, who allegedly shot Wallace, worked at the farm where the dicamba was illegally sprayed. Modern Farmer reported:13

“According to a news release by the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office, Jones allegedly told deputies he and his cousin … met up with Wallace to discuss the dispute concerning the alleged spraying of dicamba on the farm where Jones works. When Wallace grabbed Jones by the arm during the argument, Jones pulled out a gun and shot the older man, who was unarmed.”

Dicamba damage was also noted in 200,000 acres of soybeans in Arkansas, Tennessee and Missouri in the summer of 2016, along with 42,000 acres of peaches, watermelons, alfalfa and other crops in Missouri alone.

“The damaged crops have pitted farmer against farmer and strained relationships in the region, especially in light of the fact that insurance companies won’t compensate farmers for losses caused by wrongful or ‘off label’ herbicide applications due to drift,” Modern Farmer reported.14

Meanwhile, dicamba-resistant weeds have already sprouted in Kansas and Nebraska, raising serious doubts that piling more pesticides on crops will help farmers. " … [P]iling on more pesticides will just result in superweeds resistant to more pesticides. We can't fight evolution — it's a losing strategy," Nathan Donley, a scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity, told EcoWatch.15

To protect not only the people on earth now, but also those that will make up future generations, it's important that the widespread environmental contamination caused by chemicals like dicamba, glyphosate and PCBs is not allowed to happen all over again.

Test Your Personal Glyphosate Levels

If you'd like to know your personal glyphosate levels, you can now find out, while also participating in a worldwide study on environmental glyphosate exposures. The Health Research Institute (HRI) in Iowa developed the glyphosate urine test kit, which will allow you to determine your own exposure to this toxic herbicide.

Ordering this kit automatically allows you to participate in the study and help HRI better understand the extent of glyphosate exposure and contamination. In a few weeks, you will receive your results, along with information on how your results compare with others and what to do to help reduce your exposure. We are providing these kits to you at no profit in order for you to participate in this environmental study.

In the meantime, eating organic as much as possible and investing in a good water filtration system for your home are among the best ways to lower your exposure to glyphosate and other pesticides. In the case of glyphosate, it's also wise to avoid crops like wheat and oats, which may be sprayed with glyphosate for drying purposes prior to harvest.

Find Out the Glyphosate Levels in Your Body

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, and is the most widely used weed-killing chemical on farms, lawns, schoolyards and other public spaces. It’s also extensively applied to many crops before harvest. The World Health Organization (WHO) performed its own independent analysis in March 2015, and determined glyphosate is a probable carcinogen.

The Health Research Institute (HRI) in Iowa has developed a glyphosate test kit that will allow you to learn your personal glyphosate levels. I’ve recently gained access to a limited number of kits that I’m now able to offer on Mercola.com at cost, so no profit will be made on their sales. Ordering also allows you to participate in a worldwide study on environmental exposure to glyphosate.

Once you order the kit, simply follow the instructions on the package and mail to the address provided. Within a few weeks, you will receive your personal analysis, along with information on how your results compare with others, as well as tips to help reduce your exposure. Test kits are extremely limited, so please order yours today.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/12/27/monsanto-mayhem.aspx

MUST WATCH: The World According to Monsanto GMO Documentary

Healthwise


 

The REAL Institute - Max Bliss

Published on 6 Sep 2012

Hello my friends, be prepared for some challenging truths and be warned, our governments are being exposed for the puppet pretend democracies they are.... big BUSINESS calls the shots. People .... just in the way of their progress. We can change our fate, if we unify and use the only weapon feasible to beat the global elite ( major share holders in Monsanto) People Power. uploaded by Uploaded by eboyuk on May 18, 2011

There's nothing they are leaving untouched: the mustard, the okra, the bringe oil, the rice, the cauliflower. Once they have established the norm: that seed can be owned as their property, royalties can be collected. We will depend on them for every seed we grow of every crop we grow. If they control seed, they control food, they know it -- it's strategic. It's more powerful than bombs. It's more powerful than guns. This is the best way to control the populations of the world. The story starts in the White House, where Monsanto often got its way by exerting disproportionate influence over policymakers via the "revolving door". One example is Michael Taylor, who worked for Monsanto as an attorney before being appointed as deputy commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1991. While at the FDA, the authority that deals with all US food approvals, Taylor made crucial decisions that led to the approval of GE foods and crops. Then he returned to Monsanto, becoming the company's vice president for public policy.

Thanks to these intimate links between Monsanto and government agencies, the US adopted GE foods and crops without proper testing, without consumer labeling and in spite of serious questions hanging over their safety. Not coincidentally, Monsanto supplies 90 percent of the GE seeds used by the US market. Monsanto's long arm stretched so far that, in the early nineties, the US Food and Drugs Agency even ignored warnings of their own scientists, who were cautioning that GE crops could cause negative health effects. Other tactics the company uses to stifle concerns about their products include misleading advertising, bribery and concealing scientific evidence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VEZYQF9WlE

On the Video:

  5:00 PCBs

13:40 Roundup

17:15 GMOs and their creation

33:00 Bovine Growth Hormone

39:15 High incidence of mastitis in the cows, pus and iGF1 (growth factor 1), in the milk and increase in breast colon and prostate cancer

40:15 rBGH health scandal in Canada

44:00 Monsanto revolving doors

46:30 FDA ignored GMO safety warnings from its own scientists

50:43 GMO risk for human health

59:15 Monsanto falsified scientific studies and Agent Orange

1:04:23 Proving the safety of Roundup-ready soya beans on animal health

1:06:55 Monsanto products have inundated the world

1:07:44 Monsanto's intellectual property

1:15:00 Monsanto in India, world's 3rd largest cotton producer

1:25;25 GMO transgenic contamination of Mexican corn

1:39:45 GMO transgenic crops in Brazil and Paraguay

Healthwise

Protect Yourself from 7 Food-System Threats

food and health

How to Protect Yourself from 7 Food-System Threats

Are you and your family ready to handle supergerms, superweeds, and other risks created by chemical agriculture?



Using toxic chemicals to grow our food has produced
serious threats to our health and our environment.

RODALE NEWS, ANAHEIM, CA—The way we grow food in this country, and increasingly do around the world, is making us sick. As Rodale CEO Maria Rodale points out in her book, Organic Manifesto, that's because pesticides aren't just on the food, they're in it, too. In her book, she discusses (in an easy-to-understand way) how many scientists are linking the hormones, genetically engineered seeds, and estrogenic, synthetic pesticides that are used in the chemical farming industry to diabetes, accelerated aging, a skyrocketing rate of food allergies, the feminization of boys, and even obesity.
 
Analyzing some of that same peer-reviewed, scientific research, Charles Benbrook, PhD, chief researcher at The Organic Center and former agricultural policy and science researcher for congress and the National Academy on Sciences, last year released a list of his seven predictions for food.


Here are seven major health and environmental threats from chemical farming, and how to protect yourself and your family.


Threat # 1: An increase in the number of children facing developmental issues, including autism, ADHD, birth defects, and allergies.

Benbrook says just 1 percent of pesticides are responsible for virtually all pesticide-related developmental risks from exposure in the diet. If the government bans the high-exposure uses of these pesticides and increases the availability of organic fruits and vegetables, which are generally free of these residues, in schools, many pesticide-linked health problems in children could be avoided.

Protect yourself:

School yourself on the Dirty Dozen, a list compiled by Environmental Working Group of the produce items that generally harbor the most harmful pesticide residues. They are: peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, imported grapes, carrots, and pears. Don't stop there, because it's best to buy organic whenever you can. But always try to get certified-organic versions of those 12 foods.


Threat #2: An increase in the number of Americans who are obese, diabetic, or both.

We're all responsible for choosing a healthy diet. But it's also true that we live in an "obesogenic" world that pressures us to eat more high-calorie, high-fat food than is healthy for us. "Government agencies and programs either directly control or shape one or more of the daily meals consumed by 25 percent of Americans," according to Benbrook. "More can and must be done in the marketplace to reward the food industry for offering healthier choices."

Protect yourself:

Recently, Michelle Obama urged the food industry to stop pushing unhealthy food to kids, and to get busy offering healthier choices. We can all send a similar signal to the companies that make and market the food on our supermarket shelves. "Consumers get to vote three times a day when they eat," says Benbrook. "That is the most profound statement."

To find organic-food bargains, buy some of your grains in bulk. For instance, "a 50-pound bag of organic rolled oats for just $5 more than conventional will feed a large family oatmeal once a week for a year," Benbrook explains. "It's the same thing with rice, potatoes, and apples."

Buying in-season and cooking at home more will greatly bring down the costs, and you might even save money over conventional processed foods. For more free healthy meal and snack ideas, visit the Rodale Recipe Finder.


Threat # 3: A decrease in the efficacy of lifesaving antibiotics.

This statement should give pause to everyone. Antibiotics save lives, but because we routinely use them to accelerate growth and boost animal health in filthy concentrated animal-feeding operations (CAFOs), superbugs are emerging. "There are now several strains of bacteria that are essentially untreatable in humans, and more will follow, without major changes in how antibiotics are used on farms," says Benbrook. Even this winter's swine-flu epidemic may have been the result of CAFO practices.

Protect yourself:

The Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that 70 percent of antibiotics used in the U.S. go to the livestock industry, where farmers don't even need a prescription to administer them. Buy organic meat and dairy (antibiotics are not allowed), and tell your elected official to support Congresswoman Louise Slaughter's (D-NY) bill that would ban subtherapeutic agricultural uses of human antibiotics. Know how to protect yourself from hospital infections, how to kill household germs, and how to talk to your doctor about prescription antibiotics.

Read on to find out how organic food can reduce chronic disease.


Threat # 4: An increase in disease linked to inflammation.

Inflammation is the root of many chronic diseases that are skyrocketing in incidence lately, and antioxidants are vital to repairing the damage done. But chemical farming practices seem to be robbing our food of the natural antioxidants that help fend off diseases.

Protect yourself:

Organic produce generally contains 25 percent higher levels of these health-boosting antioxidants, so choose organic whenever you can, or even grow your own healthy organic food.


Threat #5: An increase in the spread of "super-weeds."

Genetically engineered, herbicide-tolerant crops have increased herbicide use by more than 380 million pounds since 1996, with 46 percent of the total increase occurring in 2007 and 2008, reports The Organic Center. Mother Nature's smart (she always outsmarts us), and this rise in the use of weed-killing chemicals is leading to super-weeds throughout the 160 million acres of U.S. genetically engineered corn, soybeans, and cotton grown every year. This leads to farmers applying even more chemicals to control the weeds that overuse of chemicals strengthened in the first place.

Protect yourself:

On the policy level, Benbrook says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should impose binding rules in time for the 2011 crop season to reduce usage if farmers don't cut back on their own.  At home, resist any temptation to zap weeds using RoundUp, one of the chemicals leading to the rise in super-weeds in the agricultural setting. Not only is it causing a problem by creating pesticide-resistant weeds, but the pesticide is actually more dangerous than initially realized. Learn about retro weed-killing methods, chemical-free lawn fixes, and see Organicgardening.com for all sorts of anti-weed tactics.


Threat # 6: The continued rapid decline of the honeybee.

Five insecticides are known to hamper bees' immune systems, as well as the insects' ability to find their way back to the hive. In Italy, Benbrook explains, a ban on insecticide seed treatments during the 2009 crop season resulted in virtually no bee losses.

Protect yourself:

Protecting honeybees will help ensure our survival—we need them to pollinate our crops, as well as produce honey. Buying organic produce supports a system that keeps nasty chemicals out of the environment so other critters have a shot at survival. Make friends with an organic beekeeper; create a garden that attracts native bees.


Threat # 7: Global warming.

The Rodale Institute, a nonprofit research farm that compares the effects of organic and chemical farming, has found that organic farming can be used as a tool to help combat climate change. That's because the microorganisms in healthy soil absorb and store carbon, keeping it out of the atmosphere. In chemical farming, pesticides kill most of these beneficial creatures. And that's on top off all the greenhouse-gas emissions that come from producing, transporting, and applying the pesticides.

Benbrook says farm and conservation-program payments should be redirected toward proven ways to sequester carbon in soil organic matter. Supporting organic farms yields healthier food and healthier soil, and now we know it can lead to a more stable climate. "Few public-policy changes offer such significant and diverse benefits at such a modest cost," says Benbrook.

Protect yourself:

Climate change is linked to all sorts of worsening health problems, so prepare for a rise in allergy symptoms, heat stress, waterborne illness, Lyme disease, and diseases spread by mosquitoes. To do your part to support organic agriculture, join the DemandOrganic.org campaign led by the Rodale Institute.

Posted on March 19th, 2010 by Karin Magid
 

GMO corn is altered to receive Roundup (see wikipedi for a list of frauds lab tests and toxic effects of roundup) . corn is found in the mAjority of processed food. It is also subsidized by the government.
Consumer boycott of all products containing corn or corn syrup and lobbying your congress person to stop the subsidy would be a greAt health and economic measure
 

Source: http://www.rodale.com/food-and-health

Do Genetically Modified Foods Cause Cancer ...

Fact or Myth: Do Genetically Modified Foods Cause Cancer, Lung Damage & Birth Defects?

Danica Collins

This is a fact.

In order to make crops more resistant to pests, scientists insert a special gene, called Bt-toxin – derived from Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria – into corn and cotton plants. The toxin attacks the stomach lining of nibbling insects, killing the pests within a couple of days of ingestion. More than 65 percent of U.S. corn crops contain this special gene that produces the insecticide.

Another alarming fact: 80% of the processed food items in your local supermarket contain genetically modified ingredients. This means that if you are a U. S resident, you are undoubtedly eating genetically modified foods.

These genetically modified foods have been sneaking into our diets since 1995, when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) analyzed the first genetically engineered plant – corn. Today, 90% of several U.S. crops are grown with genetically engineered seed.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are “organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in such a way that it does not occur naturally.” Scientists insert a gene from one organism into another to “improve” or change the organism.

The biotech companies and the EPA assure us that genetically engineered toxins such as Bt-toxin are safe. They claim that it dissolves quickly in our stomachs, and won’t cause any side effects because humans and other mammals have no receptors for the toxin. This assertion arouses suspicion, as the Bt-toxin belongs to a family of bacteria (Bacillus Cerus) that cause food poisoning in humans.

Resent research likewise indicates a far different conclusion: Bt-toxin poses significant health risks that far outweigh any perceived benefits.

When natural Bt spray was sprayed over regions of Vancouver and Washington State to control the gypsy moth population, 500 people reported adverse reactions. The majority complained of allergy or flu-like symptoms and six others were hospitalized for severe allergic reactions or asthma flare-ups. Farmers and workers exposed to Bt sprays have reported eye, nose, throat, skin and respiratory irritations.

Authorities have cautioned against the effects of the spray for years, warning, “People with compromised immune systems or preexisting allergies may be particularly susceptible to the effects of Bt.”

The Bt-toxin, in addition to being 3000 times more concentrated than the spray, fails all 3 GM allergy tests prescribed by organizations such as the WHO. Judging by these results and warnings, it is evident that Bt-toxin does indeed influence human health.

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) states, “several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with genetically modified foods.” These health risks include:

• Infertility
• Lung damage
• Cancer
• Immune Impairment
• Vitamin Deficient
• Premature Aging
• Damaged Insulin Regulation
• Liver, Kidney, Heart and Spleen Dysfunction
• Higher Rate of Mortality

One study showed that the offspring of rats fed genetically modified soy had lower birth weights, higher infertility rates and a mortality rate 5 times greater than those fed a non-GMO diet. Another animal study suggests that genetically modified potatoes may cause cancer in rats, and additional research established a link between genetically modified peas and lung damage in mice.

Although there are as yet no reported human clinical trials confirming the devastating effects of the Bt-toxin on human health, recent studies indicate that the toxin passes easily into the bloodstream. There is a specific type of Bt-toxin called Cry1Ab that is already widespread in humans. Canadian researchers found high levels of the toxin in pregnant and non-pregnant women whose diet consisted of foods such as genetically modified corn, soy and potatoes. Bt-toxin was present in 93% of maternal blood samples, 80% of fetal blood samples and 67% of non-pregnant women’s blood samples.

One published human feeding experiment suggests that toxins in GM soy transfer into bacteria that live inside our intestines – bacteria that continue to thrive long after we have stopped eating genetically modified foods. This could harm the balance of good bacteria in our intestines and turn our digestive systems into pesticide storehouses that create diseases resistant to antibodies.

Unfortunately, avoiding GMOs is difficult, as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require genetically modified foods to be labeled, despite repeated warnings from FDA scientists that the side effects of GMOs prove to be unpredictable and hard-to-detect. Influenced by the food and agriculture biotechnology industry, which has spent more that $572 million in campaign contributions and lobbying costs, government organizations such as the FDA continue to keep consumers in the dark.

In order to reduce the amount of genetically modified foods in your diet, buy organic foods labeled “Non-GMO.”

Avoid non-organic products containing:

• Peanut
• Alfalfa
• Safflower
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini
• Crookneck squash
• Sugar cane
• Beets
• Peppers
• Papayas
• High fructose corn syrup
• Maltodextrin
• Soy lecithin
• Soy protein
• Corn
• Soy
• Canola
• Cottonseed
• Dairy

Further Related Reading:

• New Research Spotlights Deadly Implications of Genetically Modified Crops and Foods
• New Genetically Modified Rice With Human Genes…Frankenrice
• Genetically Modified Corn Found Now in Your Local Grocery Store

Source: http://undergroundhealthreporter.com/genetically-modified-foods

Toxic Alert: Herbicide Now Detected in Human Urine

October 23 2012 |146,526views

Story at-a-glance

• Last year, Bt toxin originating from genetically engineered Bt crops were found in 93 percent of pregnant women tested and 80 percent of umbilical blood in their babies. Now, results from a German study shows that people who have no direct contact with agriculture have significant concentrations of glyphosate in their urine. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in many broad-spectrum herbicides, including Roundup
• Urine samples collected from city dwellers in Berlin all tested positive for glyphosate, with values ranging from 0.5 to 2 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml), which is five to 20 times the permissible upper limit for glyphosate in German drinking water
• Research published in 2010 showed that the chemical causes birth defects in frogs and chicken embryos at far lower levels than used in agricultural and garden applications
• Glyphosate has also been linked to decimation of intestinal probiotics, endocrine disruption, DNA damage, developmental and reproductive toxicity, and more

 

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By Dr. Mercola

Last year, doctors at Sherbrooke University Hospital in Quebec made the disturbing discovery that Bt-toxin from genetically engineered Bt corn in fact accumulates in the human body – contrary to industry assurances. The toxin was identified in 93 percent of pregnant women tested; 80 percent of umbilical blood in their babies; and 67 percent of non-pregnant women.

The study blew a giant hole in safety claims over genetically engineered Bt crops. 

Now, results from a German study shows that people who have no direct contact with agriculture have significant concentrations of glyphosate in their urine. It's becoming quite apparent that genetically engineered crops are a source of multiple toxins, in addition to having been found to contain far lower levels of nutrients. So much for saving the world from starvation.
 

Glyphosate Found in City Dwellers' Urine

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Monsanto's herbicide Roundup, which is sprayed in large quantities on genetically engineered, so-called "Roundup Ready," crops. Such crops are genetically engineered to withstand otherwise lethal applications of the herbicide.

According to the German journal Ithaka,¹ every single urine sample collected from city dwellers around Berlin tested positive for glyphosate, with values ranging from 0.5 to 2 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) – that's between five and 20 times the permissible upper limit for glyphosate in German drinking water, which is set at 0.1 ng/ml. According to the featured article:²

"Glyphosate probably entered human populations over the past 10 years through its increasing presence in daily foods such as meat and dairy products, vegetable and fruit produce and grains products. Glyphosate-laced genetically modified Roundup soya which enters the animal food chain, is only one of the risk factors.

Even more dangerous now is the increasing use of herbicides in the EU over the past several years for the desiccation of entire stocks of harvestable crop.

'Spraying crops to death,' as desiccation should be more aptly called, means that herbicides are being sprayed directly on the crops shortly before they are to be harvested to facilitate the harvest by uniformly killing off all living plants (including the crops) on the field.

If crops cannot fully mature due to excessive rain, as was the case in the summer of 2011, herbicides are used to bring the crops to maturity by means of a 'death-spray.' The method facilitates the drying of the crops as well as removing all weeds for the next sowing period, and has become common for the harvest of potatoes, cereals, canola and pulses.

For potatoes, spraying herbicides on the field immediately before harvest (2.5 l / ha), hardens the skin and reduces its susceptibility to late blight and germination, which improved the potatoes shelf life. Active compounds of the herbicide directly enter the potato through the leaves; however, decomposition of the poison takes place in the body of the consumer."
 

"Desiccation" – Spraying the Crop to Death Before Harvesting

If you've never heard of this practice, you're probably not alone. Few besides those directly involved with large scale agriculture are likely to be aware of this practice. According to the featured article,³ Syngenta advertises desiccation among "the standard measures to assure high quality production." The end result is extensive contamination of the crop in question, much of which ends up on your plate.

The chemical works primarily by affecting plant metabolism, effectively killing virtually all green plants within a few days. Genetically engineered Roundup Ready crops are specifically designed to be able to withstand the assault of this broad-spectrum weed killer. However, this certainly does not make such crops glyphosate-free.

On the contrary, Roundup Ready crops are far more contaminated with glyphosate than other crops, due to the excessive spraying required as glyphosate-resistant super-weeds are becoming increasingly common. Add the practice of desiccation to the mix, and it's no wonder consumers are expelling significant concentrations of toxins in their urine...

"Desiccation is one of the most egregious scandals of modern agricultural history; as such, it is worth taking a minute to consider what is actually happening in the process," the article states.⁴ "Just before crops are harvested, threshed, and sold to bakeries, farmers soak them in broad-spectrum systemic herbicides to kill them off and give them the appearance of uniform maturity. One could just as well stir the glyphosate right into the bread dough. With protein-rich feed it is the same – the herbicide is spayed directly on the grain several days before it is sold as concentrated feed.

...There is an urgent need for action. Regardless of all the other risks associated with glyphosate, an immediate ban of desiccation must be enforced. Desiccation can be considered nothing less than negligent physical injury and is irreconcilable with current animal welfare laws."
 

Health Risks of Glyphosate

According to the featured article, authorities in the EU have raised the legal limit for glyphosate in wheat and bread, now allowing such contamination to be 100 times the legal limit for vegetables, and the limit for feed grains has been raised 200-fold. This is quite disturbing when you consider the significant health hazards associated with this chemical.

Research published in 2010 showed that the chemical, which works by inhibiting an enzyme called EPSP synthase that is necessary for plants to grow, causes birth defects in frogs and chicken embryos at far lower levels than used in agricultural and garden applications.⁵ The malformations primarily affected the:

• Skull
• Face
• Midline and developing brain
• Spinal cord

The amount of glyphosate residue you can be exposed to through food is remarkably high, in terms of being close to the maximum residue limit (MRL) allowed. According to a report in the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology, the highest MRL for glyphosate in food and feed products in the EU is 20 mg/kg. Genetically engineered soybeans have been found to contain residue levels as high as 17 mg/kg, and malformations in frog and chicken embryos occurred at 2.03 mg/kg⁶ – that's 10 times lower than the MRL!

Other independent scientific research has also found that glyphosate has the potential to cause grave health damage, including a 2009 study that tested formulations of Roundup that were highly diluted (up to 100,000 times or more) on human cells, and even then the cells died within 24 hours.⁷ The researchers hailed a warning cry that still has not been heard by regulators around the world, who continue to allow massive amounts of Roundup to be sprayed into the environment:

"...the proprietary mixtures available on the market could cause cell damage and even death around residual levels to be expected, especially in food and feed derived from [Roundup] formulation-treated crops."

What's worse, when applied to crops, the glyphosate becomes systemic throughout the plant, so it cannot be washed off. And once you eat this crop, the glyphosate ends up in your gut where it can decimate your beneficial bacteria. This can wreak havoc with your health as 80 percent of your immune system resides in your gut. Separate research has also uncovered the following effects from glyphosate:

Endocrine disruption	DNA damage
Developmental toxicity	Neurotoxicity
Reproductive toxicity	Cancer

Leading Scientists Take on Monsanto's Spin Machine

Meanwhile, Monsanto Company recently reported third quarter profits of $937 million.⁸ That's right, nearly a billion dollars-worth of profits in a mere three months – up 35 percent from the same quarter last year. As expressed by Karen Stillerman, a senior analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS):⁹

"That raging river of cash flowing in must make it easy for the company to finance a flurry of advertising and lobbying extolling the virtues its products. According to Monsanto's PR, the company is feeding a growing population, protecting natural resources, and promoting biodiversity. But the truth is decidedly less impressive, and now UCS is setting the record straight with an ad campaign of our own."

The USC has created a series of ads that address Monsanto's false claims head on. The ads will be featured on city buses and transit stations across Washington, including areas near the U.S. Department of Agriculture's headquarters, the U.S. EPA, and Capitol Hill. Here's the text of one of the three ads. For the remaining two, and links to help spread the word, please see the UCS ad campaign page:¹⁰

More Herbicide + Fewer Butterflies = Better Seeds?

Monsanto Says: "In the hands of farmers, better seeds can help meet the needs of our rapidly growing population, while protecting the earth's natural resources." In Fact: Monsanto's Roundup Ready crops, genetically engineered to tolerate the company's Roundup herbicide, increased herbicide use by an estimated 383 million pounds between 1996 and 2008. And Monarch butterflies have laid 81 percent fewer eggs thanks to habitat loss since Roundup Ready was introduced.
 

Congress's Big Gift to Monsanto

With profits like that, it's also no wonder that Monsanto can afford to influence virtually any legislation it wants, to increase its profits. After all, over the past few years it's become abundantly clear that our political process is run by bribes. The idea that politicians are looking out for the welfare of the public has been exposed for the pipedream that it is, and we're now faced with the truth that unbridled corruption has seeped into every last nook and cranny of our government.

One of the latest incidents in a long row of blatant industry coddling was reported in Mother Jones on July 2:¹¹

"...while the House agriculture-appropriations subcommittee mulled a bill on ag spending for 2013, subcommittee chair Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) inserted a pro-industry provision that that has nothing to do with agriculture appropriations. The provision Kingston added – a single paragraph buried in a 90-page bill... would allow farmers to plant GM crops even during legal appeals of the USDA's approval process, and even if a federal court orders that the crops not be planted.

It addresses one of the ag-biotech industry's most persistent complaints: the USDA approval process keeps rubber-stamping its products, but an anti-GMO group called the Center for Food Safety keeps launching, and winning, lawsuits charging that the USDA didn't properly assess the environmental impact of the novel crops, thus delaying their release into farm fields... The bill, complete with its gift to the industry, sailed through the ag appropriations subcommittee and will likely be taken up by the full House soon after the July 4 recess...

Meanwhile, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) has signaled he will sponsor an amendment to the ag appropriations bill that would nullify Kingston's Monsanto-friendly provision."

This legislative boon is exactly what you'd expect from a politician bought and paid for by the industry. The provision, dubbed "The Monsanto Protection Act" by Food Democracy Now, effectively strips judges of their constitutional mandate to protect consumer rights and the environment. It's a perfect example of how insidious the collusion between the biotech industry and Washington really is, and how easily and nonchalantly they undermine our most basic rights.
 

Winning California GE Labeling Battle Now More Important than Ever

Organic foods specifically prohibit genetically engineered ingredients along with synthetic agricultural chemicals, such as Roundup, and eating organic is essentially the only way to ensure you're not accidentally consuming GE foods, since the US still does not require such ingredients to be labeled.

 

We have no real champions for food safety and labeling of genetically engineered foods within the federal government. But right now we do have a great opportunity to change this situation by circumventing Monsanto's posse entirely.

Twenty-four U.S. states have, as part of their state governance, something called the Initiative Process, where residents can bring to ballot any law they want enacted, as long as it has sufficient support. California has organized such a ballot initiative, known as Proposition 37, to get labeling for genetically engineered foods sold in their state.

Although many organic consumers and natural health activists already understand the importance of Proposition 37, it cannot be overemphasized that winning the battle over Prop 37 is perhaps the most important food fight Americans – not just Californians – have faced so far. But in order to win this fight for the right to know what's in our food, we need your help. The biotech industry has raised 40 million dollars for their propaganda.

Please remember, the failure or success of this ballot initiative is wholly dependent on your support and funding! There are no major industry pockets funding this endeavor. In order to have a chance against the deep pockets of Big Biotech and transnational food corporations, it needs donations from average citizens.

So please, I strongly encourage you to make a donation to this cause. You can also contact EVERY person you know that lives in California and encourage them to view some of these videos and get educated on the issues so they can avoid succumbing to the propaganda. We need EVERY vote we can to win on November 6.

It's important to realize that getting this law passed in California would have the same overall effect as a national law, as large companies are not likely going to label their products as genetically engineered when sold in California (the 8th largest economy in the world), but not when sold in other states. Doing so would be a costly PR disaster. So please, I urge you to get involved and help in any way you can, regardless of what state you live in.

• Whether you live in California or not, please donate money to this historic effort, through the Organic Consumers Fund.
• If you live in California and want to get involved, please contact CARightToKnow.org. They will go through all volunteer requests to put you into a position that is suitable for you, based on your stated interests and location.
• No matter where you live, please help spread the word in your personal networks, on Facebook, and Twitter. For help with the messaging, please see CARightToKnow.org.
• Talk to organic producers and stores and ask them to actively support the California Ballot. It may be the only chance we have to label genetically engineered foods.

For timely updates, please join the Organic Consumers Association on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter.

 http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/10/23/glyphosate-found-in-human-urine.aspx