California’s EPA office issued a “notice of intent” in Sept. 2015 to label glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto’s ‘Roundup’ weed herbicide, as a cancer causing compound.
The California EPA’s decision follows the World Health Organization (WHO) cancer research division’s decision to put glyphosate on its report of ingredients known to cause cancer. Glyphosate joins the list of chemicals hazardous to human health under California’s ‘Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986.’ The ruling means Monsanto, the biotech bully of St. Louis, must add a “clear and reasonable” warning that glyphosate is a threat to human life.
WHO: Glyphosate a Probable Carcinogen
The WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in March 2015 classified glyphosate as being “probably” carcinogenic to humans. Monsanto responded with a campaign to dispute any glyphosate link to cancer.
Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide used to kill weeds, especially annual broadleaf weeds and grasses known to compete with commercial crops. In 2013 Monsanto received approval from Obama’s U.S. EPA for the use of glyphosate, and has since used that politically, financially generated approval as part of its advertising campaign.
Plants absorb glyphosate through their leaves and the poison moves to the growing points of shoots and roots, interfering with the enzymatic production of amino acids essential for plant growth. Monsanto claims that pathway exists only in plants, fungi and bacteria, not in humans and animals, an argument which has been proven demonstrably false and has led to Monsanto’s being sued for false advertising. Glyphosate acts on the human gut just as it acts on plants.
Glyphosate Kidney and Liver Damage
In March 2015, scientists from around the world released a study for WHO linking Monsanto’s herbicide to kidney and liver damage, even with small exposures. The evidence was considered controversial by Monsanto supporters because it was taken from a review of glyphosate exposures – mostly agricultural, in the United States, Canada, and Sweden – from selective studies published since 2001.
Glyphosate out of Control
Dr. Nathan Donley, a staff scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity, said: “More than 250 million pounds of glyphosate are used each year in the United States, and the science is clear that it’s a threat to public health and countless wildlife species. It’s long past time to start reining in the out-of-control use of glyphosate in the United States.”
France upholds Glyphosate Poisoning
In Sept. 2015, appeals court in France upheld a 2012 ruling in favor of farmer Paul Francois, who claimed he had been chemically poisoned and suffered neurological damage from inhalation of Monsanto’s weed killer, ‘Lasso’. Monsanto plans, of course, to take its appeal to France’s highest court. Such a precedent cannot go unpunished by the superwealthy behemoth with financial and political power reaching its tentacles into nearly every corner of the world, just as its glyphosate has now done.
Related
- Monsanto sued for False Advertising
- Glyphosate Cancer Link
- France bans Glyphosate
- All Hail to Monsanto
- Monsanto sued for Water Contamination
- No Evidence GMO’s are Safe, says Norway
- Monsanto Roundup Lawsuit
by Matthews & Associates
