A group of mothers recently blitzed the EPA with concerns about Roundup residue found in breast milk. Despite these and other serious health concerns, the US Department of Agriculture doesn’t routinely test foods for Roundup residue as it does for other toxic chemicals.
Monsanto’s Roundup has been around since the 1970s, but more recently its use skyrocketed after its maker engineered crops that withstand heavy spraying, so more Roundup could be used to kill weeds.
Then, as if to accommodate Monsanto even more, the EPA raised the tolerance level for the herbicide’s main ingredient, glyphosate.
While a growing number of environmentalists and scientists are raising concerns about the high levels of glyphosate in the air and water, as well as in human urine and breast milk, Monsanto, not surprisingly points to its product’s lengthy record of “safe and effective use” - a statement that would misbrand the herbicide [under FIFRA Section 2(q)(1)(A)] if Monsanto tried to make a false claim like that on the product label.
Based on a recent review of hundreds of studies showing Roundup is anything but safe, there’s simply no excuse for the EPA not to at least set stricter limits on its use.
We, the undersigned, say we can’t rely on Monsanto’s claims of safety, and therefore the EPA must set stricter limits on Roundup, at least until more independent research is done.
Most disturbing is last year’s review of hundreds of studies on the herbicide that concluded it could be “one of the most biologically disruptive chemicals in our environment.” One major concern is glyphosate’s harmful effect on liver enzymes whose job it is to clear out toxins from the body - the Cytochrome P450 enzymes. According to Food & Water Watch’s report on this scientific review, “Glyphosate inhibits these CYP enzymes, which has rippling effects throughout our body.”
Food & Water Watch's report is found online here:
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/blogs/new-review-points-to-glyphosates-dangerous-health-effects/
These effects include “decreased levels of the amino acid tryptophan, which is necessary for active signaling of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Suppressed serotonin levels have been associated with weight gain, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease.” There are also negative effects on stress and reproductive hormones.
With new evidence showing glyphosate residues in breast milk, the mothers’ group “Moms Across America” has every right and reason to demand that the EPA pay attention to their concerns and request for a recall of Roundup. At the very least, the EPA should take immediate steps to reduce the use of this potentially very dangerous herbicide.
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