Roundup, Killer of Weeds and Destroyer of Human Health

http://naturalsociety.com/monsantos-roundup-glyphosate-parkinsons-neurodegenerative/

Roundup sounds like a smart, efficient and safe product. It is made to kill "weeds" but it is being proven to kill more than those horrible plants in your garden and yard-- you know, the dandelions and plantains. Oh, and clover which some call a "weed" but really, all three are quite good for soil health. Agreed that crab grass is not lovely but it can be pulled by hand or crowded out by over-seeding with a mix of grasses and clover-- yes, there's that nasty word again. But, this isn't about clover; I write about the fact that exposures to Roundup are being connected with a terrible terrible disease-- Parkinson's-- far worse than any "weeds"! Please, read the above link. New research, published in the journal Neurotoxicology and Teratology, indicates a connection between a component in Monsanto’s Roundup and Parkinson’s disease. Glyphosate is said to induce cell death, with frightening repercussions.

More on Endocrine Disruption and Pesticides From the author of Time to Learn From Frogs

This is for real; not science fiction-- certain chemicals in our every day lives, such as those found in our perfumed or fragranced home care and personal care products, and in pesticides used in chemical lawn care and agriculture are known Endocrine Disruptors. Everyone of all ages can be adversely affected. Men can have reproductive and other sexual problems. Children can be born with certain deformities of their genitalia; there can be problems with the nervous system and and and... . A widely used herbicide acts as a female hormone and feminizes male animals in the wild. Thus male frogs can have female organs, and some male fish actually produce eggs. In a Florida lake contaminated by these chemicals, male alligators have tiny penises.

These days there is also growing evidence linking this class of chemicals to problems in humans. These include breast cancer, infertility, low sperm counts, genital deformities, early menstruation and even diabetes and obesity.  But the scientists who know endocrine disruptors best overwhelmingly are already taking steps to protect their families. John Peterson Myers, chief scientist at Environmental Health Sciences and a co-author of the new analysis, said that his family had stopped buying canned food.

“We don’t microwave in plastic,” he added. “We don’t use pesticides in our house. Click the link below to read Kristof's latest piece in the New York Times on the subject. Thank you.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/03/opinion/kristof-how-chemicals-change-us.html?_r=1

Children At Risk From Pesticides, School Bans Debated

While pesticides are by nature designed to be poisonous, different chemicals seek different living targets. Humans, especially children, are particularly vulnerable to some commonly used products, including organophosphates, which belong to the same chemical family as sarin, a nerve gas classified by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction.

The most common herbicide Gilden found was Monsanto's controversial flagship weed-killer, Roundup, which is powerful enough to irritate the skin and respiratory system and provoke the kind of acute illness the Gorkins experienced. More seriously, chronic exposure to Roundup, among other pesticides, is associated with higher rates of birth defects, hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder, as well as errors in DNA transcription, which can lead to a host of other dysfunctions, disease or even death. This article is from the Huffington Post which is an excellent resource for well-researched current issues. We have been enabling big business to grow and plunder; to destroy our basic, natural environment at great cost to human and environmental health. Time to say "no" to Weed and Feed products unless we know that they do not pose risk.