Editordude: Totally coincidentally, this article was posted at NationofChange today – the same day we published Judi Curry’s post which raises all kinds of questions on why the City of San Diego and its contractors are using RoundUp on our parks, beaches and playground.
By Ashley Curtin / NationofChange / May 2, 2019
The Environmental Protection Agency reaffirmed its 2017 findings and confirmed that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s weed-killer Roundup, does not cause cancer. The announcement made by EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler on Tuesday comes at the same time there are currently 13,400 lawsuits against the controversial weedkiller.
While the World Health Organization (WHO) ruled glyphosate was “probably carcinogenic to humans,” the EPA has “disregarded independent, peer-reviewed research that showed a link between glyphosate and cancer in favor of Monsanto-funded studies saying it was safe,” EcoWatch reported.
“EPA has found no risks to public health from the current registered uses of glyphosate,” EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said.
A California jury ruled in favor of one of the plaintiffs in 2018 awarding a Bay Area groundskeeper who repeatedly used Roundup, which he claimed caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma, awarding him $78 million in restitution. Another California man was awarded $80 million in a similar lawsuit in March.
And many environmental groups are weary of the EPA’s findings, saying “the EPA’s pesticide office is out on a limb here.”
“Today’s decision by Administrator Wheeler, like virtually every one he and the Trump administration make, completely ignores science in favor of polluters like Bayer,” Ken Cook, Environmental Working Group president, said. “This move by EPA should not come as a surprise. Under the control of Trump and Wheeler, the agency is virtually incapable of taking steps to protect people from dangerous chemicals like glyphosate.”
Aside from the WHO, EcoWatch reported that “the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry released a toxicology report for glyphosate that acknowledged its health risks, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
But the EPA has not changed its position on glyphosate.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Quelle surprise! Anyone who has cared about our food and our environment over the past 10 years knows EPA sold out long ago. And for those who aren’t already informed, go ahead and add the FDA to your list of agencies in which you should have no confidence whatsoever.
The anti-Monsanto rallies had two basic messages: No glyphosates and No GMOs. After spending millions on trying to greenwash GMOs, Monsanto finally realized they couldn’t change the tide, so we then pursued the (very typical) shell game of rebranding. Can’t rebrand the Monsanto name? No problem, just sell it to Bayer. Nestle (water theft) did the same thing. They all do. Same with the product name: Round-Up sounds sketchy? No problem, call it something else!
Public greenspaces and whether they are ‘signing’ appropriately ahead of spraying? Most unlikely. But be equally concerned about the food you are eating (Lays, Oreos, Ben and Jerry’s, pretty much any major brand) that has glyphosate in it, and no labeling!
And just in case anyone still believes in any of (former) Monsanto’s greenwashing profile, check this out. Not only are these companies environmentally toxic, they are politically dangerous…
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48253577
Phosphate runoff should be an issue for the Coastal Commission, especially with the porous sandstone underlaying the installed soil. What say you, Retired Botanist?
https://blogs.agu.org/terracentral/2018/02/16/chemical-cocktails-confound-phosphorus-management/
Peter, thx for the link to an excellent, short piece on a little known side effect of glyphosate. We get so focused on the toxicity of the glyphosate itself, we’re hardly cognizant (nor is it highlighted in the fine print) of other contributing detrimental factors – in this case,unleashing additional phosphorus (phosphonate) run-0ff into adjacent waters.
When we think of agricultural run-off and the consequential algal blooms, it is usually nitrogen that comes to mind first. Too much nitrogen in a water supply results in algal blooms and fish kills (fish are starved for oxygen). Perhaps the most illustrative example of this was Lake Eire catching on fire in 1969 as a result of industrial waste dumping! And although the Clean Water Act came into existence shortly thereafter, waterways are still heavily polluted by agricultural run-off. This includes our near shore saline waters. Some ‘red tides” occur as a result of temperature changes, others b/c of increased phosphorus.
Our global soils are almost as precious as our waters, but receive much less attention. Since much of my research focused on seaweed biology, I was quite ignorant on the subject of “dirt”. Fortunately, in 2013 along came an extraordinary film, created by Deborah Koons, called Symphony of The Soil. Beautifully filmed, incredibly articulate, and fabulously educational! Whether you like/care about soil or not, its a wonderful film- check it out!
https://symphonyofthesoil.com/
and just to keep the conversation going, this just in:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/california-jury-says-bayer-must-pay-2-billion-212042275–finance.html