{"id":11651,"date":"2020-03-30T02:08:06","date_gmt":"2020-03-30T09:08:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nebulous-oyster.flywheelsites.com\/?p=11651"},"modified":"2021-05-15T18:22:32","modified_gmt":"2021-05-16T01:22:32","slug":"should-humans-be-concerned-about-glyphosate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/should-humans-be-concerned-about-glyphosate\/","title":{"rendered":"Should Humans be Concerned About Glyphosate?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Glyphosate

Glyphosate is harming wildlife, killing honeybees, and destroying the planet. Should humans by concerned? Photo of an ostrich looking quizzical courtesy of Pixabay. | Jennifer Margulis, Ph.D.<\/p><\/div>\n

Even if you\u2019re not sure what it is, you undoubtedly know something about glyphosate. Before the world\u2019s attention became completely fixated on <\/span>COVID-19<\/span><\/a> and the global quarantine<\/a>, glyphosate was in the news nearly every day. Why?\u00a0<\/span>This common weedkiller has been linked to cancer.<\/b> More specifically, to non-Hodgkin\u2019s lymphoma (NHL). As <\/span>CNN reported<\/span><\/a>, one study from last year showed that it increases your risk of NHL by 41%.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even with the virtual blackout on non-virus-related news, reports about the harms of glyphosate have been rolling in. Here are just a few headlines:<\/p>\n

Roundup Triggers Loss of Biodiversity Among Freshwater Algae<\/a>\u00a0(Newsweek<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Glyphosate, the Weedkiller That’s Killing Us<\/a> (SlowFood.com)<\/p>\n

Groups Sue EPA Over Yet Another Approval of Glyphosate, Despite Dangers to Humans, Bees, and Butterflies<\/a> (Natural Resources Defense Council)<\/p>\n

If glyphosate interests you, or you’re afraid that your health is suffering because of it, read on. The information below comes from the the e-book,\u00a0The Low Down on Glyphosate, Monsanto and our Rotten Systems<\/a>,<\/em> by Justine Rosenshield.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Grim Truth About Glyphosate
\nby Jennifer Margulis and Justine Rosenshield<\/span><\/h2>\n

What is glyphosate?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Glyphosate<\/a> is a man-made chemical, patented as a metal chelator, an antibiotic, an anti-parasite, and an anti-fungal, among other things. Mostly used as a weedkiller today, glyphosate kills weeds very effectively.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Monsanto is the multi-billion dollar chemical company that brought glyphosate to the market in 1974 under the trade name Roundup. Monsanto\u2019s patent on it ran out in the 2000s. So instead of just being in Roundup, glyphosate is included in hundreds of other weed-killing chemical formulas made by other companies. According to the National Pesticide Information Center, <\/span>there are over 750 products<\/span><\/a> containing this herbicide.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where is glyphosate?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Glyphosate<\/span><\/a> is <\/span>sold in approximately 125 countries around the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It has been <\/span>banned or restricted in over 20 countries<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Glyphosate is<\/span> used both commercially and privately, on and around farms, golf courses, in schools, parks, community areas, railways on pavements and pedestrian areas and domestically around homes, driveways, terraces and in gardens and allotments.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Commercial farmers use glyphosate to clear fields of weeds before sowing seeds. They also use it on most genetically modified crops. Farmers also apply glyphosate as a drying agent on <\/span>many non-GMO crops<\/span><\/a>, both in the United Kingdom and the United States.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Shortly before workers harvest certain crops, like wheat and oats, farmers spray the plants with glyphosate. This pre-harvest practice, called desiccation, helps these crops dry evenly. Farmers believe that it also facilitates and speeds up harvesting. But the fact that glyphosate spraying is done just before harvest means these foods we eat are left with <\/span>significant glyphosate residue<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Glyphostate

Information graphic about glyphosate contamination courtesy of Jake Gard via Unsplash.<\/p><\/div>\n

Research has shown that:<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n