Member Since: 8/13/2012
Posts: 32,832
|
Monsanto's top herbicide causes cancer
I hope this is not real, glyphosate is used everywhere, I used it in the garden 
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/201...d-we-be-scared
http://seekingalpha.com/news/2384296...anization-says
Quote:
An international committee of cancer experts shocked the agribusiness world a few days ago when it announced that two widely used pesticides are "probably carcinogenic to humans." The well-respected International Agency for Research on Cancer published a brief explanation of its conclusions in The Lancet and plans to issue a book-length version later this year.
The announcement set off a wave of feverish reaction, because one of these chemicals, glyphosate, is a pillar of large-scale farming. Better known by its trade name, Roundup, glyphosate is the most popular weedkiller in the world.
The IARC also classified the insecticide malathion as a probable human carcinogen. Malathion is often used to control mosquitoes. In the 1980s, it was sprayed across parts of California, including entire suburban communities, in an effort to eradicate the Mediterranean fruit fly.
Monsanto, the company that invented both glyphosate and "Roundup Ready" crops, was indignant, calling the IARC's assessment "junk science." Monsanto's chief technology officer, Robb Fraley, said in a statement that "this result was reached by selective 'cherry picking' of data and is a clear example of agenda-driven bias." Fraley pointed out that the IARC assessment did not result from any new scientific data, and that regulatory authorities in many countries have repeatedly evaluated these studies and concluded that glyphosate is safe.
In fact, glyphosate has been widely considered among the safest pesticides. Compared to other agricultural chemicals, it causes little harm to birds, fish and mammals, and it breaks down relatively quickly in the environment.
|
|
|
|
|
