Monsanto’s Roundup damages human health

This video is called Monsanto’s history marred by scandal.

From the Wall Street Journal in the USA:

June 13, 2013, 12:48 PM

Study: You’re In Trouble, Roundup

By Ashley Dalton

Europe may be skeptical of genetically modified crops — fearing they may contaminate traditional species and require more pesticides — but a new study shows that tests of urban Europeans’ urine already spell M-O-N-S-A-N-T-O.

A network of environmental groups, Friends of the Earth International, tested the urine of 182 European city dwellers, from 18 countries, and found traces  of the potentially-dangerous herbicide glyphosate, commonly known as Roundup, in 44% of samples. The leading producer of this herbicide is Monsanto Co. MON +0.18%, a company whose name has become almost synonymous with the genetically modified organisms it produces.

“This weed killer is being widely overused,” said Adrian Bebb, spokesperson for Friends of the Earth International. And that’s even though hardly any genetically modified crops are grown in Europe. Doing so on a grand scale would increase the use of Roundup around eight-fold, according to Greenpeace.

Even without a lot of GMO, Roundup is already making the rounds in Europe. It’s used for weed control in agriculture — especially on farms producing cereal crops, fruit orchards, olive groves and vineyards — and in public spaces, such as parks and railway lines.

Some scientists have linked the herbicide to birth defects, disruption of the human endocrine system, increased risk of cancer and miscarriage, according to the Friends of the Earth report. “If GMOs are allowed to be grown in Europe, then the use of Roundup will massively increase and we’ll have even more contamination of people,” said Mr. Bebb.

Other scientists, including those quoted by Monsanto, deny any health hazards associated with Roundup. “Under present and expected conditions of use, Roundup herbicide does not pose a health risk to humans,” Monsanto said in a report.

GMOs have also been a hot topic amid discussions of a free trade deal between the EU and the U.S., with some European countries resisting allowing GMOs into their markets. But Europe imports a large amount of GMO soy, which could be a potential source of the traces of Roundup in the urine of many Europeans, according to Mr. Bebb.

For the moment, European GMO critics seem to have won that debate, however, and Monsanto reportedly stopped pushing for more GMOs to be authorized in the EU — at least for now.

(CORRECTED: The spelling of the herbicide has been corrected to glyphosate.)

Pressure has been mounting on to Vatican to come out in support of GMOs: here.

Yes, Monsanto Actually DID Buy the BLACKWATER Mercenary Group: here.

Trans-Pacific Partnership and Monsanto (continued): here.

What Chile’s Monsanto law “does is put food sovereignty at risk by making it dependent on big corporations”: here.

Related articles

• GMO and Monsanto: Glyphosate weed killer found in human urine across Europe (realisticbird.wordpress.com)
• Chemical, used by Monsanto, found in urine of Europeans – study (peanutbuttersunrise.com)
• Why is weed killer in our bodies??? Glyphosate = RoundUp! (hrexach.wordpress.com)
• Top Ways To Flip Monsanto The Bird Daily (naturalblaze.com)