In an article submitted to the USDA on behalf of ISIS (Institute of Science in Society), serious concerns over the safety of the most commonly used herbicide - Glyphosate - are raised. When this chemical is combined with others to formulate Roundup, it becomes even more dangerous.
Crops (75% worldwide) have been modified so that these herbicides can be sprayed directly onto the plants without killing them. This, of course, so that the weeds will die, but the plant will not. We then eat those crops and ingest those herbicides.
A few disturbing facts from this article:
- A study on Ontario farming populations showed that exposure to glyphosate nearly doubled the risk of late spontaneous abortions. When the application was delivered in the form of Roundup, the effect was at least two-fold.
- Brief exposure to commercial glyphosate caused liver damage in rats.
- Three recent studies suggest an association between glyphosate use and the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Many of us try so hard to avoid genetically modified food, but with the pressure on to avoid labeling food as such, I realize this may become more and more difficult. Many do not seem to care much about the GM issue, so they are not eating organic produce to avoid it. This is frightening, especiallly when seeing articles like this.
Do take time to read the press release and pass it along to your friends and family.
