EPA, It's Time to BAN Roundup (glyphosate)!
- by: Susan V
- recipient: US Environmental Protection Agency
We knew Roundup was really bad. But now there’s very convincing evidence that this pesticide’s main ingredient - glyphosate -causes birth defects.
A Danish pig farmer found this out the hard way after switching the pigs’ feed from ordinary soy to genetically modified (GMO) soy. First the pigs lost their appetite and suffered diarrhea - then many of their offspring were born with serious deformities. Glyphosate was found in all the major organs and the gut wall and muscles of the deformed pigs.
Roundup use on crops skyrocketed in the late 1990s as GMO crops were created to be more Roundup-resistant, allowing heavier spraying for weeds - which ultimately created harder-to-kill super weeds. But instead of restricting its use, the EPA responded to the superweed problem by raising the tolerance level for glyphosate!
This is not just about birth defects. Studies show that chronically ill humans have more glyphosate in their urine samples than healthier populations. It’s also known that people who eat organically grown food have significantly lower levels in urine samples than those eating conventional food.
But people on low incomes can’t always afford organic food, and they shouldn’t have to face poor health because of it. EPA is set to reevaluate glyphosate at the end of this year. Tell them it’s time to ban the use of glyphosate on food crops -forever!
We, the undersigned, say the evidence against the use of glyphosate is too overwhelming to ignore.
Based on numerous studies, Truthout reports that we’ve known about glyphosate’s ability to cause birth defects in smaller animals since the 1980s. Now, says this news source, high rates of birth defects and miscarriages are showing up in humans living close to areas where glyphosate is sprayed - especially areas in South America where the spraying has been increased significantly.
Based on a 2007 study by Curwin, comparing urine samples in farm and non-farm families in Iowa, we have learned that those with higher urine levels of glyphosate are more chronically ill than those who have lower levels.
What’s worse, even though Roundup residue is now found routinely in human breast milk in the US, the Department of Agriculture is not properly testing foods for this dangerous toxin, even though it does so for other chemical poisons.
EPA was negligent, at best, in raising the tolerance level of glyphosate a few years ago. Now there is just no excuse for EPA to continue to allow this very dangerous poison to be used on our food crops at all. By doing so, EPA not only contributes to a serious health problem, it discriminates against poor populations - those who can’t afford organically grown food and those who produce conventional food crops.
We request that the EPA not wait until the end of the year to re-evalutate glyphosate. Ban the use of this poison on our food crops now!
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