February 8, 2020
GLYPHOSATE – GIVING PLANTS A CONDITION SIMILAR TO AIDS SINCE 1974
Glyphosate – giving plants a condition similar to AIDS since 1974
Glyphosate – what is it?
Toxic, toxic glyphosate (TTG) is a widely used chronically toxic herbicide with a number of disturbing effects. TTG, an organophosphate chemical is the main ingredient in Monsanto’s billion dollar selling product, Roundup.
As a stand alone chemical, TTG was first used to descale boiler systems & pipes in the middle of the 20th century.
When used as a herbicide, TTG, being non selective, simply kills all living plants exposed to it. It attacks the plant’s natural defence mechanism by inhibiting, photosynthesis (the process of making new tissue) in plants making it is a dangerously effective antimicrobial agent.
What can Glyphosate do for living organisms?
TTG is a proven endocrine disruptor (1). Endocrine disruption causes the malfunction of normal healthy cells, in a growing baby this can in fact case birth defects. In adults, endocrine disruption is known to manifest in the growth of tumors.
TTG is also a known carcinogen, In 2015, Glyphosate was in fact classified as a ‘probable carcinogen’ by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The science supporting the IARC’s decision is detailed in a paper by Dr Christopher J Portier.
While there are agricultural uses for mineral chelators with benefic purposes such humic acid TTG is not one of them. What TTG does is to aggressively grab onto minerals in the soil and environment rendering them redundant and bio-unavailable.
Effectively, TTG damages the soil by lowering the mineral content as proven in detailed scientific reports(2). Instead of supporting the microbial ecosystems in soils and plants, TTG damages micro orgamisms which plants need to be able to grow.
The harsh and non selective nature of TTG has resulted in super weeds with a growing resistance to diseases – but not to Glyphosate.
Most disturbingly, the effect of glyphosate on plants is described as “giving the plants a condition similar to AIDS”. (3)
Can I limit or stop my exposure to glyphosate today?
Getting clear of it is not easily done unfortunately. Once exposed to Glyphosate, any environment will have a number of challenges clearing the toxic toxic glyphosate from its systems.
Scientific studies (4) summarise the following durations with respect to exposure after using Glyphosate.
Records of glyphosate persistence include; up to 249 days on Finnish agricultural soils, more than 259 days on 8 Finnish forestry sites & between 1 to 3 years on Swedish forestry sites.
Really, when it comes to glyphosate, just say no.
1 – https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-020-00574-1
2 – https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf0625196
4 – Nomura, N.S., Hilton, H.W., The adsorption and degradation of glyphosate in five Hawaiian sugarcane soils. Weed Res. 1977. 17:113–121.
– Buffin, D., Jewell, T. Health and Environmental Impacts of Glyhosate. Pesticide Action Network UK. 2001. Available at: http://www.foe.co.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/impacts_glyphosate.pdf
– Buffin, D., Jewell, T. Health and Environmental Impacts of Glyhosate. Pesticide Action Network UK. 2001. Available at: http://www.foe.co.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/impacts_glyphosate.pdf