Tag: glyphosate

  • Boise Parks Reduce the Herbicide Use

    Boise Parks and Recreation Expands Pesticide Reduction Efforts, Promotes Environmental Health and Safety. Send a quick ‘thank you’ email to the agency supporting their efforts to create a healthier and safer community parks. parks@cityofboise.org

    Boise Parks and Recreation has started a pilot program to reduce pesticide use in the city’s parks, which is a step in the right direction.  Glyphosate, a common herbicide used to reduce dandelions and other broadleaf plants, has been named as a culprit in cancer cases. Some case-control studies have shown a positive association between exposure to glyphosate and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In January 2023, a study found that people exposed to glyphosate have cancer biomarkers in their urine.

    Non-Toxic Idaho and Health Freedom Idaho have been advocating for years for the parks to consider reducing the application of chemicals in areas where children and pets play. Boise Parks and Recreation is a step in the right direction in protecting the health of our families. 

    The environmental benefits of the first flower dandelions for the bees are also worth noting. The sight of the dandelions and “wish flowers” is a beautiful thing, and it’s great to see the agency taking steps to protect the environment and the health of its residents. Boise Parks and Recreation Director Doug Holloway said, “Today, more than 60 parks in our system are active pesticide reduction sites.” This is a great achievement, and the agency deserves a thank you!

    If you would like to send a note of gratitude, you can do so by emailing parks@cityofboise.org or mailing a letter to Boise Parks and Recreation, 1104 Royal Blvd, Boise, ID 83706.

    DANDELIONS ARE GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT & HAVE MEDICINAL BENEFITS

    Hard as it is to believe considering the time, energy, and money devoted to obliterating them from our yards, dandelions have roots that spread widely underground, which has the beneficial effects of loosening hard-packed soil, aerating the ground, and reducing erosion. 123 Because their roots grow so deeply, they also help pull nutrients from deep within the soil up to ground level, which makes them more readily available to other plants, like your lawn, which has more shallow roots. 12

    In addition to being good for your lawn, dandelions are also nutritious.

    The leafy greens of the dandelion plant are quite healthy, rich in vitamin A and vitamin B12, according to the Michigan State University Extension. 2 Eating just 1 cup of the greens has twice as much iron as the same amount of spinach and contains more than 500 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin K. Dandelion roots and flowers are also edible, although they are not as commonly eaten as the greens. 2

    For centuries, various parts of the dandelion plant have been used medicinally.

    They were long used to create tonics that people drank to help the liver remove toxins from their bloodstream, and dandelions have also been used to treat ailments ranging from warts to the plague, according to Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners. 3 Even today, herbalists use dandelions to improve human health, because it both works as a natural diuretic and also helps our digestive systems function optimally. 4

    CANCER and GLYPHOSATE aka ROUND-UP LAWSUITS

    The first lawsuits were filed in 2015 shortly after the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as a probable carcinogen. In 2018, one of the first cases went to trial where a jury found in favor of a California school groundskeeper who used Roundup frequently for many years. The plaintiff’s lawyers showed he was exposed to glyphosate, and the jury found that the use of Roundup caused the individual’s cancer. Most lawsuits against Monsanto and, subsequently, Bayer, have been settled. However, some cases are still ongoing, and Bayer has asked the court to dismiss some of the lawsuits. In July 2022, the 11th Circuit ruled that Bayer had failed to adequately warn about the risk of cancer from Roundup.

    EPA and BAYER, the producers of glyphosate claim there is no risk and the product can be used safely. Some case-control studies have shown a positive association between exposure to glyphosate and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In January 2023, a study found that people exposed to glyphosate have cancer biomarkers in their urine.

    REVIEW OUR OTHER ARTICLES ON TOXINS

    Why We MUST Detox from Glyphosate Toxins
    What Are Toxins Doing To Our Kids?

  • STOP THE TOXIC SPRAY

    They spray toxins KNOWN to cause cancer, weed-killer KNOWN to disrupt hormones herbicides KNOWN to be harmful to human health.The cities and counties spray toxic chemicals our sidewalks (where my children play barefoot), they spray our parks (where my children tumble and roll around) and they spray our school grounds where children spend most of the days of the weeks.

    Why are we ALLOWING this practice to continue? A few unsightly weeds are not worth another cancer diagnosis in a child! Our health is valuable. Here are several ACTION STEPS you can take to protect our children!

    STEP 1: SIGN THE PETITION

    STEP 2: #StopToxicSpray Make a Phone Call

    I wasn’t really planning on doing anything as my week has been crazy busy. But, an opportunity presented itself as I drove home today to find my street being sprayed with a ‘weed killer’ along the sidewalks and in the street cracks. I stopped the gentleman who had a golf cart and two large tanks of chemicals. He was applying it with a hand wand.

    I asked him “HOW DO I STOP THIS!?”

    He recognized I was worried and saw the van full of kids. “My son has sensitivities to chemicals I don’t want this sprayed near my yard.” He was very kind and said just post a sign, “NO SPRAY ZONE”. He already did my house but he wouldn’t spray my property next time.

    I didn’t want to be around the chemical tanks with the kids in car so I drove home to call the city. Ron from the Street Department called me back promptly. He’s been with the department since the 80’s and they have always sprayed weed killer. 

    No, they don’t alert the public and they spray twice a year. Yes, they use RoundUp and another cancer causing chemical combination. (Ask your city what THEY use?)

    When I expressed my concerns about its new label as a carcinogen, he responded  “Oh, that’s California not Idaho”. My response was “Oh, but the World Health Organization also labels it as a carcinogen. Cancer is an issue in Idaho as much as it is in California. Since 1 in 3 people get cancer it seems we should find an alternative chemical to get rid of weeds?” 

    It was a productive conversation. I finished the conversation with the question, “Since you said, you can’t stop spraying for weeds, how do we change the chemicals being use?”

    I was told to find a product that is the equivalent to Round Up in effectiveness and cost and he would research it and be willing to approach the supervisors to make a change. 

    I promised him that I, a mom of a sick kid, will research and find some alternative products for their use -because its that important to me. Not just for my kids sake, but for those workers being exposed to the chemicals in large concentrations, and the families that aren’t even aware that their children’s health issues are stemming from the constant chemical exposure and their bodies unable to detox like the rest of us. 

    UPDATE: I found a resource thanks to Non-Toxic Irvine. They have a list of alternatives the city can use. 

    I later found out that Nampa (a neighboring city) has already committed to reduce their use of this carcinogenic chemical Glyphosate. John from the parks department told me that they put out signs when they use chemicals in the park. The glyphosate is sprayed in tree wells – an area I will have my children avoid in the future. 

    “Napa is phasing out the herbicide, known by its brand name Roundup, and is substituting other substances, plus increased mulching to attack weeds in public recreational areas, according to Dave Perazzo, the city’s director of parks, trees and facilities.”

    Step #3 Join Others! We can do more together as a community

    Join our closed Facebook Group. Learn what people are doing in your city. Join with them to unite our voices against toxins sprayed in our beautiful state.

    #4 HELP COVER COSTS! DONATE

    Help Support Our Efforts to Make Idaho Non-Toxic

    Your donation will help with printing costs for educational materials submitted to our city and state officials!

    GLYPHOSATE Resources:
    Court Rules for Third Time RoundUp Caused Cancer

    Glyphosate Herbicides Contain Toxic Levels of Arsenic

    Glyphosate: Its inert ingredients are just as toxic

    MEDICAL Implications of RoundUp (Glyphosate)

    Nampa commits to reduction of Glyphosate in Parks :See Full Article At the Nampa Registar http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/napa-edges-away-from-glyphosate-weed-killer-in-city-parks/article_096c09bd-140e-5a3d-a325-d97cab4e88e2.html

  • Chronic Disease, Round Up and GMOs

    Reflect, please on the history of marketing and selling the “harmless” active ingredient in the weed-killer Round-up®. The company which Monsanto bought, had discovered this master-chelator could dissolve most metal scale deposits in boilers and pipes. Glyphosate levels in our food chain took a monster leap upward in 1980-85, when (it being deemed so harmless) glyphosate spray was recommended to kill wheat and other grain crops, just prior to harvest. Thus the “weedicide” became instead a “cropicide” (11).  Sprayed on your food at harvest-time, the chemical moves directly into the grain to where seed embryos are being pre-formed and joins the seed part which becomes flour and that we eat. So, if you ever doubted hundreds of privately paid-for tests show now that WE EAT IT! (12) (13).  

    Glyphosate is the most used pesticide in the history of the world. Agribusinesses and farmers sprayed 300 million pounds of RoundUp in 2016 alone. Over 8.6 billion pounds worldwide since it was introduced in 1974––nearly 75% of that in just the last 10 years.

    The bioaccumulation in our food supply, in our soil, in our water, is pervasive

    Critical information about health is found in this brief but important summary of recent work in progress by Anthony Samsel and Stephanie Seneff. This news, both published and unpublished, is dire.

    How the World’s Most Powerful Weed Killer Works

    Glyphosate’s weed-killing action is entirely due to the disruption of a single enzyme.

    Just one.

    All the millions and millions of gallons of RoundUp flooding the world every single year are all to stop one enzyme: 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase, or EPSP-Synthase.

    This enzyme is essential to a plant’s survival.

    It is the critical link in a biochemical process that creates the “aromatic amino acids” (amino acids with a ring attached): phenylalanine, tryptophan, and tyrosine. [2]

    Every plant dies without the ability to make these 3 critical amino acids.

    How Monsanto Can Claim RoundUp is “Safe”

    What’s interesting about these 3 amino acids, is that humans can’t make them. We call them “essential amino acids,” meaning we have to get them from our diet––mostly from plants.

    Therefore Monsanto claims that because humans don’t have this particular enzyme, glyphosate is safe for use.

    But there is one glaring problem here:

    Humans are made of amino acids. The same glycine-glyphosate substitution happens in our bodies.

    But before we get into details of how this is a problem, let’s look a little deeper at how glyphosate works.

    Why does glyphosate affect the EPSP-S enzyme?

    Enzymes work by creating an “active site” that catalyzes a chemical reaction

    For EPSP-Synthase the active site is a small “pocket” created by glycine. Glycine’s small size makes the space for the biochemical magic to happen.

    However, if a cell accidentally uses a glyphosate molecule instead of glycine, that extra “phosate” group fills up the pocket and blocks the active site.

    Without an active site, the reaction cannot happen. It’s like someone changing the lock on your door; the key just won’t fit.

    When this happens to the EPSP-Synthase enzyme, the plant (or bacteria or fungi) cannot make the amino acids it needs to function and the organism dies [2].

    This raises a new question:  if cells really use glyphosate like glycine, wouldn’t we see it in other places also?

    Wouldn’t it cause more problems in other areas associated with glycine?

    The answer points to some of the most mysterious and tragic epidemics of our time. 

    It is not hyperbole to say “glyphosate substitution” (the loss of three Amino Acids) may well be considered to be the cause of most of the idiopathic (unsolved) chronic diseases now rising in human world populations as glyphosate may continue to increase in our diets. The extensive immune damage from a single glyphosate gut disruption, likely leaves life-long auto-immune predilection.  – Avoiding Glyphosate

    Glyphosate, Collagen and Chronic Pain

    Collagen contains the highest concentration of glycine of any protein: nearly 35% glycine by weight.

    And what do we see with glyphosate?

    Again, Monsanto’s internal studies reveal glyphosate accumulates the most in connective tissue and bones [1].

    Collagen is the single most abundant protein in our body. It makes the fascia between your internal organs, makes your skin supple, protects your joints, and forms your ligaments.

    Its structure forms a tight, springy helix, which holds water as a cushion.

    When glyphosate is substituted for glycine, the structure loses its shape. The elasticity and strength become compromised. The joints lose their cushion.

    This is very likely to create chronic joint pain––one of the core drivers of the opioid epidemic in the U.S. [4]

    Collagen is also a critical player in gut issues, including inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome. If collagen is malformed, gut function is also likely to be disrupted [3].

    The Tip of the Iceberg

    There is a correlation between Glyphopho-Food and Food Allergies, Gut Peristalsis and Myosin Sabotage and The Autism Connection and Impaired Detox and Digestion. In fact there are 20 diseases in the USA that correlate with the rise of Glyphosate and GMOs in our food supply. 

    This is only the beginning. If we look for other potential health issues with glycine-dependent proteins, glyphosate may be implicated in the massive increase in Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, autoimmune conditions, infertility, and cancer.

    DISEASE, GLYPHOSATE, AND GMOSRise of 20 Diseases in the USA Correlates with Rise of Glyphosate (Roundup) and GMOs in Everyday Food

    Glyphosate Substitution

    What happens if one in a thousand proteins are mis-manufactured by a compound which does not break down as was supposed?  Why care about deficient F, Y and W?  Well, to put it bluntly, Y is precursor to dopamine (that when fails, produces Parkinson’s disease).   W is precursor to both melatonin (without which no brain repair during sleep) and serotonin, also essential for brain well-being and for gut food passage.  Without both serotonin and dopamine, any person would likely be sleepless, and possibly exhibit severe mental derangement.  Lacking self-esteem, some might become suicidal, or enraged and potentially commit mass mayhem – possibly indiscriminate murders about which their family and friends would then remain in disbelief, clueless about real causes. Could this clearly be a case of de facto government sanctioned poisoning?

    Please read the article in full:  https://martincmichener.wordpress.com/avoiding-glyphosate/

    Read more about the impact of amino acid replacement and its effect on our body at https://www.bodyhealth.com/blogs/news/glyphosate-in-your-body

    References:
    1. Ridley, W.P. & Mirly, K. The metabolism of glyphosate in Sprague   Dawley rats. Part I. Excretion and tissue distribution of glyphosate and its metabolites following intravenous and oral administration (unpublished study MSL-7215  conducted by Monsanto’s Environmental Health Laboratory and submitted to the EPA July 1988)(MRID#407671-01) (1988)
    2. http://www.pnas.org/content/103/35/13010
    3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23525573
    4. https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/environmental-toxins/glyphosate-in-collagen/
    5. https://www.cornucopia.org/entropy-15-01416_Glyphosate.pdf
    6. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/bi701454e
    7. Protective effects of lignite extract supplement on intestinal barrier function in glyphosate-mediated tight junction injury, JJ Gildea, DA Roberts, Z Bush – J Cin Nutr Diet, 2017
    8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2120956/
    9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3592909/
    10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4392553/
    11. http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/how-glyphosate-poisoning-explains-peculiarities-autism-gut
    12. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3945755/
    13. http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/4/1416

    14. Crop Dessication. s.l. : Everipedia https://everipedia.org/wiki/Crop_desiccation/.

    15. Moms Across America: . Honeycutt, Zen. s.l. : https://www.momsacrossamerica.com/state_bans.

    16. Glyphosate Is Destructor of Human Health and Biodiversity. Mason, R. s.l. : Sustainable Pulse, 2013.

    Did Monsanto know the impact on human health? Clearly the answer is YES. They knew their billion dollar product could harm and kill humans. The initial reports of licensing appear now all to have been written by Monsanto employees and consultants, without attribution of interest conflicts. Some relevant postings of decisions have been removed.

  • Toxic Chemicals Contaminate Foods Marketed to Children

    The FDA refused to test our foods for contamination. EPA refuses to reduce the amount of toxins permitted on our food crops. Independent studies show that our food is filled with toxic chemicals.  

     The weedkiller, produced by Bayer-Monsanto, was detected in all 21 oat-based cereal and snack products sampled in a new round of testing commissioned by the Environmental Working Group. All but four products contained levels of glyphosate higher than what EWG scientists consider protective for children’s health with a sufficient margin of safety.

    EWG’s petition, currently under consideration by EPA, calls on the agency to return to its health-protective 1993 standard. But it could take years for EPA to act, and the agency has been caught colluding with Monsanto to promote the claim that the chemical is safe.
    The only way to quickly remove this cancer-causing weedkiller from foods marketed to children is for companies like General Mills and Quaker to use oats from farmers who do not use glyphosate as a desiccant.


    More than 236,000 people have signed a petition directed at these food companies, calling on them to take action to protect consumers’ health. 

    SIGN THE PETITION

    To read more about allowable glyphosate levels and the chemical’s effects, read “Glyphosate: Unsafe on Any Plate”

    Additional Resources:

    From DDT to Glyphosate

    Glyphosate is Proven to Cause Cancer. It is Contaminating Our Vaccines

    Glyphosate Detox Exposure is Inescapable

    Dr Seneff video interview: 

  • Why Poison the Lawn When You Can Have Wildflowers At Your Feet

    Wildflower seeds are carried on the wind, on the coats of wild animals and in the digestive tracts of birds. Anybody who’s paying attention would see them for the gifts they are: flowers that arrive, through no effort at all, to feed the bees and the butterflies.

    But Americans generally aren’t paying attention. Too enraptured with the idea of a lawn that unrolls from the street to their very door, a carpet of green that remains green even when grass is supposed to be dormant, they see these homely little wildflowers as intruders, something to be eradicated.

    Maybe the whole question seems like nothing more than a matter of personal preference — I like wildflowers, and other people like grass. To each her own. That would be a fair assessment of the situation if grass grew naturally under shade trees in suburbia and if homeowners killed the unwanted plants in their yards by pulling them up or mowing them down.

    Neither is true. Grass requires a lot of chemicals and a lot of water to thrive. The wildflower seeds that are carried on the wind to my uncultivated yard are also carried on the wind to my neighbors’ highly cultivated grass. Instead of weeding, it’s easier to use chemicals to keep seeds from germinating, and to kill the ones that germinate anyway with more chemicals still.

    But let’s be clear here: “Chemical” is just another way of saying “poison.” 

    Have you ever wandered down the yard-care aisles at a big-box store? Giant bags of fertilizer and gallon jugs of Roundup are stacked warehouse floor to warehouse ceiling, and the foul chemical stink they emit, even in sealed packages, will give you a headache if you linger long.

    No surprise, the chemicals that give you a headache in Home Depot are bad for the environment, too. Fertilizer runoff ends up in our waterways, causing algae blooms that starve fish and other aquatic wildlife of oxygen. Pesticides and herbicides end up there, too, but first they poison us.

    Last week, a federal jury ordered Monsanto, the maker of Roundup to pay $2 billion in damages to a couple who both had cancer. Last month, a federal jury ordered Monsanto, the maker of Roundup, to pay $80 million in damages to a California man with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of cancer. It was the third time an American jury had found for a plaintiff with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and Bayer, which now owns Monsanto, has once again vowed to appeal. This could be the beginning of the end for Monsanto’s carcinogenic product that dominates the market as more juries hear how Monsanto manipulated its own research, colluded with regulators and intimidated scientists to keep secret the cancer risks from glyphosate.

    Nature has been trying to make this point for a while now. Next time you walk around a suburban neighborhood, take a mental wildlife census of the yards you pass. What you’ll invariably find is that the pristine lawns have almost no insects living there — no bees or butterflies, no beetles, no grasshoppers or crickets, no lacewings, no spiders, no roly-polys. And where there are no insects, there are also no tree frogs, no toads, no turtles, no bats, no songbirds. A staggering 96 percent of songbirds, even those that subsist on seeds and berries as adults, rely on insects to feed their young: A growing body needs protein, and for birds the best source of protein is a bug. And birds don’t know when a bug is sick with poison.

    We tend to think of nature in terms of its resilience. A rat snake eats all the redbird babies, and the parents build another nest somewhere else and try again. A tree dies in the forest, and all the little woodland creatures make a feast of the insects that live in the deadwood.

    But just because we can’t see something doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. We hear birds singing in springtime, and we assume that all is well, despite our chemicals, despite the heat we are generating with our fossil fuels, despite the forests we are laying waste to. 

    But we are wrong: The North American bird population is in steep decline, and the news is even worse for insects and amphibians: “Apocalypse” is the word scientists most often use to describe what’s happening to those populations.

    Gerard Manley Hopkins didn’t live to see the havoc wreaked by the chemicals that poison us now, but he knew something about the vulnerability of the natural world:

    What would the world be, once bereft
    Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
    O let them be left, wildness and wet;
    Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.

    As individuals, we too often feel powerless in the face of the corporate and political forces that drive our culture, but in this matter we are not powerless. We can change our preferences and train our eyes to see the “perfect” American lawn for what it is: a field of poison. We can put away our chemicals, make a haven of our own yards and welcome the wildflowers.

    Change your own habits and request the cities eliminate toxins: Sign our petition:Stop the toxic sprays at schools and playgrounds

    Margaret Renkl is a contributing opinion writer who covers flora, fauna, politics and culture in the American South.  She is the author of the forthcoming book “Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss.” @MargaretRenkl

    This article originally appeared at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/15/opinion/nature-lawns-environment.html.

  • Second Jury Finds Monsanto Glyphosate Causes Cancer

    A second U.S. jury on Tuesday found Bayer AG’s glyphosate-based Roundup weed killer caused cancer. The case was only the second of some 11,200 Roundup lawsuits to go to trial in the United States. The jury from the first trial eight months ago issued a $289 million verdict. Johnson vs Monsanto.  

    The previous jury found unanimously that Monsanto’s glyphosate-based Roundup weed killer caused Mr. Johnson to develop NHL, and that Monsanto failed to warn of this severe health hazard. Importantly, the jury also found that Monsanto acted with malice, oppression or fraud and should be punished for its conduct.  (see internal documents from Monsanto revealed during court proceedings)

    Monsanto Co. continues to refuse to warn consumers of the dangers of its multi-billion-dollar product Roundup despite the world’s foremost authority on cancer—the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)—listing glyphosate as a probable carcinogen in 2015.

    Quick Stats on Glyphosate

    • Glyphosate has contaminated our planet, and is now found in our children’s urine, mother’s milk, our bloodstreams, and our food and water. 
    • In 2015 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization found that glyphosate “is a probable human carcinogen”.
    • In July of 2017 the California State Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) added glyphosate to its prop 65 list of known carcinogens.
    • In October of 2017, after over 1 million Europeans requested a ban, 72% of the Members of the European Parliament voted to BAN glyphosate and EU Member states have refused to renew the license.
    • Four countries have banned glyphosate: Malta, Sri Lanka, The Netherlands, and Argentina. 
    • Many U.S. school districts and cities have already discontinued the use of glyphosate.

    Glyphosate has been found in VACCINES: (5) vaccines were sent out for testing and came back positive for #glyphosate 

    #influenza shot for FLU 

    #MMR. Combo shot for Measles, Mumps, Rubella

    #TDap. Combo shot for Tetanus, Diphtheria, & Pertussis 

    #HepB. For Hepatitis B

    #Pneumococcal for pneumonia

    New Study Shows Link between herbicide and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

    The noose is tightening on Bayer/Monsanto’s glyphosate herbicide (commonly sold as  Roundup), as yet another epidemiological study has found a link between exposure to the herbicide and a type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma called diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). See the abstract and key points below.

    This study is published as the jurors in the Roundup cancer litigation in the US are deliberating their verdict.

    Pesticide use and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoid malignancies in agricultural cohorts from France, Norway and the USA: a pooled analysis from the AGRICOH consortium
    https://academic.oup.com/ije/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ije/dyz017/5382278

    Contaminated Foods

    There is NO level of safe glyphosate -Because glyphosate has been shown to bioaccumulate, and has been shown in the parts per trillion, to increase the growth of breast cancer cells, regardless of what the EPA and Monsanto say is NO safe level. http://www.stopsprayingnb.ca/resources/42.pdf

    GOOD NEWS

    Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) introduced legislation March 15, 2019 to dramatically limit American children’s exposure to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup weedkiller, in food. The bill would not only ban pre-harvest spraying of glyphosate on oats but also require the federal government to test foods popular with children for the herbicide, which has been linked to cancer.

    Key provisions in DeLauro’s bill include:

    • Prohibiting the spraying of glyphosate as a pre-harvest drying agent on oats.
    • Lowering by 300-fold the permissible level of glyphosate residues on oats, restoring the legally allowed level to just 0.1 parts per million, or ppm.
    • Requiring the Department of Agriculture to regularly test fruits, vegetables and other foods routinely fed to infants and children for glyphosate residues

    Read more on this legislation at Sustainablepulse.com

    MORE RESEARCH RESOURCES:

    Why we must detox from Glyphosate

    Organic Foods Contaminated with Glyphosate

    Petition against Glyphosate :Glyphosate use poses a significant threat to the health of our planet and the people on it..it’s high time that the EPA prohibits the pre-harvest use of glyphosate on every farm across the country”https://buff.ly/2ybW4Dm

    RoundUp Toxicity is NOT just the Glyphosate

  • Weed Killer Found in Your “All Natural” Cup of Tea

    Last year, OCA sued Bigelow, after the brand’s Classic Green Tea tested positive for glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup weedkiller. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in many herbicides, most notably in Monsanto’s star product, Roundup. The chemical is applied to more than 150 food and non-food crops and used on lawns, gardens and parks. In fact, researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that human exposure to glyphosate has increased approximately 500 percent since 1994, the year Monsanto introduced its genetically modified Roundup Ready crops in the U.S. Today, the chemical can be detected in everyday household foods such as cookies, crackers, ice cream and even our urine.

    Organic Consumer Association alleges that Bigelow Tea puts the words “All Natural” on its Classic Green Tea and other tea products, and also represents its products and the company as being “environmentally friendly” even though Bigelow’s Green Tea tested positive for glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup® weedkiller.

    Among other health and environmental concerns, according to a report published January 2017, low doses of glyphosate have been linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, suggesting that there is no “safe” level of glyphosate.

    In March 2015, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) which labeled glyphosate a “probable carcinogen.” The France-based panel’s ruling has since sparked debate around the world, prompted hundreds of lawsuits over allegations that glyphosate causes cancer, and resulted in the state of California adding glyphosate to its list of cancer-causing chemicals.

    “All Natural” Should Mean Pesticide Free

    According to the lawsuit that an estimated 0.38 ppm in Bigelow Green Tea. The lawsuit isn’t about the contamination rather, the complaint alleges that Bigelow deceptively labeled, marketed and sold tea products with the representation of “All Natural” and “Natural,” making the products appear environmentally friendly.

    “Like other companies that market their products as ‘natural’ and ‘environmentally friendly,’ Bigelow is using these terms to profit from growing consumer demand for healthier, more sustainable produced products, even though the company knows those claims are false,” said Ronnie Cummins, international director of the Organic Consumers Association.

    “Bigelow knows that health-conscious consumers will pay a premium for “all natural” products believing those products are free of pesticides and other contaminants. Likewise, Bigelow knows that consumers who care about the environment will pay more for products they believe were produced using methods that don’t harm the environment. As a consumer education and advocacy group, it’s our job to expose these false claims and force corporations to either clean up their products, or clean up their labels and advertising.”

    Judge Denies Request for Case Dismissal

    OCA is represented by Richman Law Group.

    They filed the suit in Washington, D.C., under the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Procedures Act (CPPA), because we believe consumers don’t expect an “All Natural” product to contain pesticide residues.

    Bigelow did what all corporations do in the face of a lawsuit—it asked the court to dismiss the case. The court said no. The case will go forward.

    In its ruling, Judge Robert Rigsby agreed with us—that any “reasonable fact-finder considering the facts as alleged [in this case] could conclude that consumers have been misled in violation of the CPPA.”

    In other words, Judge Rigsby recognized that the word “natural” means something to consumers. And that “something” doesn’t include pesticide contamination.

    More on the Myth of Natural Campaign

    *Read the full complaint 

    Learn More:

    See Monsanto’s internal documents revealing the company is well aware of health risks to humans

    Toxicity of Glyphosate (sign the Petitions)

    Detoxing from Glyphosate

  • US Food Brands Petition EPA to Ban Pre-Harvest Glyphosate Spraying

    The Environmental Working Group, joined by food and nutrition companies including MegaFood, Ben & Jerry’s, Stonyfield Farm, MOM’s Organic Market, Nature’s Path, One Degree Organic Foods, National Co+op Grocers and Happy Family Organics, petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday to sharply limit glyphosate residues allowed on oats and prohibit the pesticide’s use as a pre-harvest drying agent.

    Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup, is mostly used as a weedkiller on genetically modified corn and soybeans. But it is also increasingly sprayed on oats just before harvest as a drying agent, or desiccant. Glyphosate kills the crop, drying it out so that it can be harvested sooner than if the plant were allowed to die naturally. This allows easier harvesting but also increases the likelihood that the pesticide makes it into foods.

    In 2016, a testing project by Food Democracy Now! and The Detox Project found alarming levels of glyphosate in General Mills’ Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Raisin Bran and Frosted Flakes and PepsiCo’s Doritos Cool Ranch, Ritz Crackers and Stacy’s Simply Naked Pita Chips, as well as many more famous products.

    In August, independent laboratory tests commissioned by EWG found glyphosate residues in popular oat-based foods marketed toward children. Almost three-fourths of the samples tested had glyphosate levels higher than what EWG scientists consider protective of children’s health with an adequate margin of safety.

    “No parent should worry whether feeding their children healthy oat-based foods will also expose them to a chemical linked to cancer,” said Scott Faber, EWG’s senior vice president for government affairs. “Using glyphosate as a desiccant is not necessary, but only a convenience for growers. That’s not worth taking a chance with our children’s health.”

    The EPA’s legal limit on glyphosate residues is 30 parts per million, or ppm. The petition, joined by 8 industry leaders asks the EPA to set a more protective standard of 0.1 ppm, which was the legal limit in 1993.

    Over the last 25 years, the EPA has increased the amounts of glyphosate residue allowed on oats 300-fold. The first increase, to 20 ppm, was granted in response to a 1997 petition from Monsanto, when farmers around the world first began using glyphosate widely as a late-season desiccant. It was increased to the current 30 ppm level in 2008.

    Since then, scientists have linked glyphosate to cancer and researchers around the world have called for stricter limits on glyphosate exposures.

    In 2015, 17 of the world’s top cancer researchers convened by the International Agency for Research on Cancer reviewed hundreds of studies on glyphosate and voted unanimously to classify the weedkiller as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” Last year, California added glyphosate to its official list of chemicals known to cause cancer.

    “The verdict is in – glyphosate use poses a significant threat to the health of our planet and the people on it.  As more and more consumers continue to raise valid concerns about the incredibly harmful effects of glyphosate, it’s high time that the EPA prohibits the pre-harvest use of glyphosate on every farm across the country,” said Robert U. Craven, CEO of MegaFood. “The federal government has a duty to protect its most vulnerable citizens, and today’s petition filing is a signal that it’s time to clean up the supply chain to improve overall health.”

    “The citizen petition submitted to EPA today is an important step in confronting the overuse of glyphosate in our food system,” said Matthew McCarthy, CEO of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. “We call on EPA to quickly take the steps necessary to ensure that unwanted levels of pesticides don’t wind up the food Americans eat.”

    “As a mom of two young children and as a maker of organic baby food, I urge the EPA to protect us appropriately from this chemical glyphosate that may have serious consequences to our health and more importantly, the lifelong health of our children,” said Shazi Visram, Founder and ChairMom of Happy Family Brands. “Progress must always be made to ensure their safety and well-being. To me that means we are always strengthening our standards. So first and foremost we should maintain the standard that was 300 times stronger over 20 years ago.”

    The petition asks the EPA to prohibit the use of glyphosate as a pre-harvest desiccant on oats and set a stricter limit for imports coming from countries with less protective standards. This simple change could significantly reduce a source of the pesticide in Americans’ diets.

    This article originally appeared at: https://sustainablepulse.com/2018/09/28/us-food-brands-petition-epa-to-ban-pre-harvest-glyphosate-spraying/#.W7PuJWhKiUk.

  • Monsanto Glyphosate Medical Implications

    Glyphosate herbicide, more commonly known as Roundup, is the world’s most commonly used herbicide. It is sprayed on everything from homeowner’s lawns to gigantic fields of “Roundup-Ready” genetically modified crops. Though ubiquitous, many research studies suggest that this weed-killing chemical is far from benign.

    This article originally appeared at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY5f19QGvds&t=80s.

    Learn How to DETOX from Glyphosate.

  • Bob’s Red Mill Sued Over Organic Oats Contaminated with Glyphosate Roundup

    Bob’s Red Mill is facing a federal class action, filed in San Francisco Friday, after the world’s most used weedkiller, glyphosate, was discovered in both its organic and non-organic oats. 

    Over the years concerned consumers have questioned Bob’s Red Mill via their company blog on the presence of glyphosate in the oats being sold. Many of the responses to the comments regarding glyphosate directs customers to buy Bob’s Red Mill Organic oats if they want to avoid the chemical. However, despite the claim of safety Bob’s Red Mill organic oats had detectable amount of glyphosate. 

    Currently in the US, we are dumping 300 million pounds of glyphosate on our soil per year: two times as much as last year. Many vegetable oils, processed foods, and inorganic vegetables or fruits contain or have been sprayed with Roundup, thus they are contaminated with this ubiquitous chemical. 

    But can we keep ourselves safe from glyphosate and by eating only whole organic foods? Unfortunately, that does not provide us with 100% protection. The testing proves the glyphosate contaminates everything within range – including organic crops. 

    Bob’s Red Mill Company Statement: 

    Because we at Bob’s Red Mill are dedicated to bringing all of our customers natural, healthy products, whether organic or conventional, we have inquired directly with farmers and with our suppliers to determine if glyphosate desiccation is used by the farmers supplying our products. The majority of our conventional wheat is grown close to home in the Pacific Northwest where growing seasons are typically longer and the practice of desiccation is as such rarely used. We’ve been told desiccation is not a practice used by our individual farmers. The growing, harvest and communal storage practices sometimes used by the wheat industry in general make it nearly impossible, however, for our multi-source suppliers to guarantee the practice of glyphosate desiccation is not used with all of the conventional wheat the suppliers sell to us.We are able to assure our customers, however, that glyphosate desiccation is not a practice used for our organic products as the use of glyphosate is not permitted at any time in the cultivation of our organically grown ingredients. Our Customers who desire to be certain that glyphosate has not been used may wish to choose instead from our extensive line of certified organic products.

    Customers are rightfully disappointed about the company’s tainted oats. 

    A concerned mother wrote:

    EWG’s report listed that they found glyphosate in your Organic oats. Even though it seems small compared to the rest of the samples in the article, my baby eats your organic oats every day. I use it in almost all the recipes I cook for him. Are there any chances of cross contamination in your facilities between organic and non organic products?

    Another mother wrote:  

    It was tested and the organic steel cut oats do contain glyphosate, and I’ve been feeding the organic steel cut oats to my 1.5yr old son daily for the past year.

    Another customer said: 

    I am deeply disturbed to find out that tests by EWG discovered Bob’s Red Mill Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats does contain glyphosate. Although the amount of glyphosate found in your organic oatmeal are low I thought the use of glyphosate is strictly prohibited by the USDA’s National Organic Program. How is your organic oatmeal certified organic if there is allegedly trace amounts glyphosate in your product?

    The Company’s response:

    Our farmers of organic oats are 100% committed to growing their crops by the rules of the National Organic Program. The use of glyphosate as a pre-harvest desiccant isn’t allowed in the growing of organic oats. Unfortunately, even with the rules, it’s still possible for glyphosate to blow over from other non-organic farms. Even still, choosing organic is the best way to avoid pesticides and other chemicals in foods. 

    Bob’s Red Mill Why Not Test the Oats? 

    Mike S. an astute customer brought up a valid point: 

    I read the comments here over the years and wonder why you did not test your oats to be 100% able to say what you are selling. Being against something and doing something for it to change – are two different things. Looks like you went the easy way. https://www.newsweek.com/weed-killer-glyphosate-found-quaker-oats-cheerios-cereal-recall-organic-1075454

    But perhaps, it wasn’t so easy. Now Bob’s Red Mill will face a lawsuit for its tainted grains. 

    “Consumers have a reasonable expectation that material product information, such as the presence of a probable carcinogen like glyphosate, will be provided by a product manufacturer, especially when the manufacturer affirmatively identifies the health-related attributes of its products such as “Gluten Free”, “Whole Grain”, and “Friend of the Heart,” the complaint states, adding that the labeling amounts to “misleading half-truths.” –

    Why the Concern?

    Glyphosate, weed killer, probable carcinogen and endocrine distruptor has been found on our foods. Glyphosate consumption has been linked to or associated with countless health problems. These include (I hope you’re ready): impaired cholesterol and fat metabolism, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, insulin resistance and type II diabetes, fatty liver disease, hypothyroidism due to impaired thyroid-stimulating hormone activity, osteoporosis and arthritis, autism, a higher risk of contracting a salmonella infection, impaired development during adolescent years and even infertility.2,3 

    I’m not finished yet, this chemical is also associated with multiple types of cancer: non-Hodgkins’s lymphoma, melanoma, colon cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic, kidney, thyroid, and breast cancer.4,5 http://kinetik-fitness.com/show-all/1256/glyphosate-a-global-health-threat/

    Wave of Lawsuits

    A wave of class actions against food companies has caused many food brands to start seeking The Detox Project’s Glyphosate Free certification, according to their Director, Henry Rowlands;  “The Detox Project has received a massive rise in inquiries from food brands regarding Glyphosate Residue Free certification, ranging from baby food to honey to supplement brands. So far we have 15 brands from around the world fully certified but over 50 brands have been in touch during the last week.”

    Yet, Organics Is STILL The Healthier Choice

    Though this is a concerning lawsuit, this doesn’t mean that organic isn’t worth investing in for your health. Pesticide drift is a real concern and is an most organic farmers take measures against. Yet even with drift, we believe that organic IS the healthier choice when it comes to reducing and avoiding pesticides, herbicides and GMOs.

    Avoiding Glyphosate

    See the Detox Projects certified brands to date

    The lawsuits against food brands also follow the landmark cancer trial verdict in San Francisco very closely, in which Monsanto was ordered by a jury to pay over USD $289 Million in total damages to the former school groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson, a California father who has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which was caused by Monsanto’s glyphosate-based weedkiller Roundup.
    Read the Classified Internal Documents that reveal Monsanto Knew the Toxicity of their Product

    Eliminating Glyphosate? 

    Learn About the Glyphosate Detox

    Groundbreaking Detox Product Shown to REDUCE Glyphosate Levels in the Body (Discount Code for HFI readers BETRUE $50 off)

    Health Damages of Glyphosate: 

    http://kinetik-fitness.com/show-all/1256/glyphosate-a-global-health-threat/

    1  https://www.freep.com/story/news/health/2018/08/15/breakfast-foods-cereal-weed-killer/996282002/

    https://www.ewg.org/childrenshealth/glyphosateincereal/#.W3TsHdhKhQI

    2  https://www.bobsredmill.com/blog/healthy-living/bobs-red-mill-oats-glyphosate/

     http://www.bobsredmill.com/blog/featured-articles/glyphosate/.