Glyphosate and Roundup: All Roads Lead to Cancer – New Study

From GM Watch via Sustainable Pulse

(Note: article is from Feb 2022)

New findings add to other observations linking glyphosate and Roundup to cancer. Report: Claire Robinson

Glyphosate and Roundup lead to changes in gene regulatory microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) linked with cancer, newly published data show. The analysis, of a type known as small RNA profiling, was conducted in liver tissue from rats exposed to glyphosate and Roundup MON 52276, an EU-approved formulation, over 90 days.

In the new results, Roundup MON 52276 was found to reduce the levels of miR-22 and miR-17, whereas glyphosate decreased the level of miR-30 and increased the amount of miR-10. These changes in miRNAs are important because they are known to alter the expression of crucial cell growth regulator genes, which can lead to the development of cancer.

A gene function that is central to multiple cellular processes, p53, is a particular target of these miRNAs. The miRNA changes can lead to alterations in p53 gene expression, as has been found in multiple types of cancer in humans.

The link between the changes in miRNAs and p53 gene expression is consistent with the findings within the same study showing gene expression changes in Roundup- and glyphosate-exposed rats. The gene expression changes strongly imply a p53 pathway DNA damage response. DNA damage is a major risk factor for cancer development.

Furthermore, increases in miR-10 have been found in other studies to be associated with leukemia, a blood cancer. The increase in mir-10 caused by glyphosate exposure in the experimental animals may provide one mechanism by which users of Roundup have succumbed to another blood cancer, known as non-Hodgkin lymphoma. These results could strengthen the legal cases of the cancer sufferers in the US who are suing Bayer/Monsanto because they believe that exposure to Roundup caused their disease. Three such cases have already been decided in favour of the plaintiffs.

Study lead Dr Michael Antoniou of King’s College London said, “The new data showing changes in miRNA patterns add yet more evidence to the cancer-causing potential of glyphosate and Roundup. What is more, our results show that it is not just Roundup, which is a mixture of glyphosate with various additives, that has carcinogenic potential, but also glyphosate alone.”

Previously reported findings

The new data confirm and build on previously reported findings that were published as a pre-print in April 2021, which GMWatch reported on. The study with the additional findings has now passed peer review and is published in the prestigious journal, Toxicological Sciences.

The pre-print version of the study had reported that glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides such as Roundup activate mechanisms involved in cancer development, including DNA damage – and these effects occur at doses assumed by regulators to have no adverse effects. The data suggest that the DNA damage was caused by oxidative stress, a destructive imbalance in the body that can cause a long list of diseases. Oxidative stress is the likely cause of the damage seen to the liver, leading to an inflammatory (immune type) response, which in turn can cause DNA damage.

Crucially, the study found that the isolated active ingredient of Roundup – glyphosate – damaged DNA. This finding, according to the EU’s pesticide law, should result in a ban on glyphosate and all its formulations.

All these findings are carried over into the peer-reviewed version of the study.

How the study was done

The study builds on the findings of a previous one by the same authors. In the previous study, the researchers had compared the effects in rats of MON 52276 with those of its “active ingredient”, glyphosate, tested alone. The findings showed that glyphosate and Roundup herbicide, given at doses that regulators say are safe, resulted in the animals suffering gut microbiome disturbances and oxidative stress, with indications that the liver was affected and possibly damaged.

In the current followup study, the researchers analysed the liver tissue from the same rats to see if damage had indeed occurred.  

The researchers carried out some of the standard tests that regulators require the pesticide industry to conduct to gain market authorisation for their products – namely blood biochemistry and kidney and liver histopathology (microscopic examination of tissue).

They also carried out in-depth tests (molecular profiling) that are not demanded by regulators or typically carried out by the industry. One type of test looked for adverse effects at a profound molecular level of biological functioning through analysis of gene expression (transcriptomics) and epigenetics (DNA methylation) in the liver and kidneys. Another type of test, using specialised genetically engineered cell lines, was intended to highlight changes in function linked with cancer formation.

In addition, the researchers carried out tests that can detect direct damage to DNA.

Roundup causes fatty liver disease – confirmed

The standard tests, histopathology and blood biochemistry analysis, found adverse effects from the Roundup treatment, namely a dose-dependent and statistically significant increase in fatty liver disease and liver cell death.

The finding of fatty liver disease from exposure to the MON 52276 formulation of Roundup confirmed the same researchers’ previous observation that an ultra-low dose of another Roundup formulation, Roundup Grand Travaux Plus, administered to the same strain of Sprague-Dawley rats over a 2-year period, caused non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

An increase in liver and kidney lesions was also detected in animals treated with glyphosate, although this did not reach statistical significance. However, the authors commented that an experiment of longer duration using more animals may have resulted in statistical significance.

Non-standard tests most revealing

Worryingly for public health, it was the non-standard molecular profiling tests that are not required by pesticide regulators that were most revealing.

First, Roundup was found to alter the expression of 96 genes in the liver specifically linked to DNA damage and oxidative stress, as well as disruption of circadian rhythms or “body clocks”. The most affected genes in liver also had their expression similarly altered in kidneys. Crucially, a core set of genes whose expression was altered by Roundup was similarly changed in the glyphosate-treated animals. This strongly suggests that the key changes in gene function reflective of oxidative stress and DNA damage was due to glyphosate and not the additional substances (adjuvants) present in the Roundup formulation.

Second, direct DNA damage to the liver was found to increase with glyphosate exposure.

These findings potentially constitute a bombshell that could end the authorisation of glyphosate in the EU. That’s because the EU pesticide regulation (1107/2009) has what’s known as hazard-based cut-off criteria. This means that if a pesticide active ingredient is shown to cause a certain type of harm to health at whatever dose, it must be banned. One of the named types of harm is damage to DNA. The discovery that glyphosate alone damages DNA in a living animal should, if regulators follow the law, result in a ban on the chemical.

Third, both glyphosate and Roundup were found to cause epigenetic changes known as DNA methylation. Epigenetics describes layers of molecular structures associated with DNA that control the underlying function of genes. The defining feature of epigenetic changes is that they can alter how genes work but do not involve changes to the actual DNA sequence. These types of changes were found at over 5,000 genomic sites for glyphosate and over 4,000 for Roundup. This is a concern because such alterations are typically found at high frequency in cancer tissues.

All findings lead to same conclusion

The researchers performed further laboratory tests in mouse cell lines, which are designed to highlight effects that can lead to cancer formation. Glyphosate and three Roundup formulations were assessed in these tester cell lines. It was found that two formulations of Roundup herbicide, but not glyphosate, activated oxidative stress and misfolded protein responses, both clear markers of carcinogenicity.

Commenting on the totality of the data, Dr Antoniou said, “No matter what molecular measurements we undertook, they all led to the same conclusion: that is, both glyphosate and Roundup are potential carcinogens.”

Other studies, including the industry ones submitted to support regulatory approval of glyphosate, have also found that glyphosate causes cancer in experimental animals. Based on studies in animals and humans, as well as mechanistic data, in 2015 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen.

Other implications of the new study

1. Ending animal testing is not yet feasible

Interestingly, in the new study, glyphosate was shown to damage DNA in living animals but not in the cell culture system. This shows that in vitro lab tests using isolated cells  cannot fully substitute for evaluations in a living animal because certain effects will be missed. This is because animals (including humans) are whole organisms whose complexity cannot be replicated in a flask, petri dish, or test tube. While many people (GMWatch included) would like to see an end to animal testing, as long as pesticides and other chemicals are allowed to be released into the environment, such a move would put public health at risk.

2. Roundup is more toxic than glyphosate

In summary, in general Roundup was found to be more toxic than glyphosate, confirming and building on previous observations. However, taken together, the results from the various assays conducted show that both glyphosate and Roundup herbicides activate mechanisms involved in cancer development, causing gene expression changes reflecting oxidative stress and DNA damage. Also, glyphosate alone was clearly able to induce DNA damage.

These findings directly challenge the global regulatory practice of only assessing the isolated declared active ingredient (glyphosate) and not the complete commercial formulations (Roundup) as sold and used.

The study further highlights the power of in-depth molecular profiling “omics” methods to detect changes that are missed by relying solely on conventional biochemical and histopathological measurements conducted in standardised industry tests on pesticide active ingredients. The study paves the way for future investigations by identifying gene expression changes and altered DNA methylation sites, which can serve as biomarkers and potential predictors of negative health outcomes resulting from exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides.

3. Results could allow survey of human population for glyphosate herbicide exposure

Commenting on the implications of the results for human exposure monitoring, study lead Dr Michael Antoniou said, “The biomarkers we identified (such as the miRNA and gene expression changes) can be tested for in people, but we don’t know if this particular pattern of biomarkers is unique to glyphosate-based herbicide exposure. Thus the biomarkers would need to be correlated with a history of exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides and measurements of glyphosate in urine.

“If high levels of glyphosate were found in the urine, and this correlated with the biomarkers identified in the new study and the person’s history of glyphosate herbicide exposure, this would indicate that exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides might be responsible for any health effects that are both indicated by our findings and found in the person. These findings should be tested first by investigations of herbicide applicators, as their exposure can be high and details of the particular herbicides used are often recorded, which would enable clearer results to be obtained.”

4. “Safe” and “no effect” doses were shown to be harmful

In the 90-day rat feeding study, different groups of animals were fed three different doses of glyphosate and the glyphosate-equivalent dose of Roundup MON 52276. The lowest dose was the concentration that regulators assume to be safe to ingest on a daily basis over a lifetime (the EU acceptable daily intake or ADI: 0.5 mg per kg of bodyweight per day). The middle dose was the dose that EU regulators concluded had no observable adverse effect (the “no observable adverse effect” level or NOAEL) in industry-sponsored rat feeding studies (50 mg per kg of bodyweight per day). The highest dose was 175 mg, the dose that US regulators concluded had no observable adverse effect.

Adverse effects were found from Roundup exposure at all dose levels in a dose-dependent fashion. These findings show that the glyphosate ADI for the EU – and that of the USA, which is even higher – is not safe to ingest. Likewise, it shows that the EU and US regulators were only able to conclude that glyphosate had “no observable adverse effect” at the levels mentioned above because the tests that they require industry to carry out are insufficiently sensitive.

Study supports plaintiffs in Roundup-cancer litigation

Summarising the implications of the study for the Roundup-cancer litigation in the US, Dr Antoniou said, “Our results are the first to simultaneously show glyphosate and Roundup toxicity in a whole mammalian animal model system and provide a mechanism – oxidative stress – by which DNA damage has been observed in other systems, such as mammalian tissue culture cells.

“These findings show that glyphosate and Roundup score positive in various tests of carcinogenicity – transcriptome/epigenome/miRNA changes, oxidative stress, protein misfolding, and DNA damage – in a living animal (rat) that is accepted as a surrogate for human health effects. In my view, this strengthens the argument that exposure to Roundup herbicides can lead to the type of cancer suffered by the plaintiffs in many of the court cases – non-Hodgkin lymphoma.”

SOURCE

https://www.gmwatch.org/en/106-news/latest-news/19980-glyphosate-and-roundup-all-roads-lead-to-cancer

FOR FURTHER ARTICLES ON THE LINK BETWEEN GLYPHOSATE & CANCER:

https://sustainablepulse.com/?s=cancer

Photo: GM Watch

How to Wash Vegetables and Fruits to Remove Pesticides

From foodrevolution.org

Get proven tips on how to wash vegetables and how to wash fruits so you can protect your health and your family.

Almost everyone should be eating more fruits and vegetables. You know that. But do you know why it’s important to wash your produce before eating it?

In our modern world, almost no food is 100% free of pesticides. Surprisingly, even organic produce may contain some pesticide residues.

Washing produce is important to prevent foodborne illness and substantially reduce your exposure to pesticides.

To reduce your pesticide exposure, the conventional advice is to choose organic food when you can, especially for the foods most likely to be contaminated with pesticides. And then, to wash your fruits and veggies before eating or cooking with them.

But, what foods are the most important to buy organic? And what is the best way to wash your produce to remove pesticides?

Science has given us answers. And we’ll share them with you. We want to help you make the best use of your time and money and to ensure the food you eat and serve is as safe as possible.

https://foodrevolution.org/blog/how-to-wash-vegetables-fruits/#wash

Photo: pixabay.com

We haven’t seen a quarter of known bee species since the 1990s

(A sad reflection of the state of our world… seriously trashed EWR)

From lbfromlv.wordpress.com

Bees feed us. Many of the 20,000 species pollinate 85 percent of food crops and fruits around the world—everything from garlic and grapefruits to coffee and kale.

But, it seems, these crucial insects aren’t doing very well. A study published today in the journal One Earth reveals that in recent decades, the number of bee species reported in the wild has declined globally. The sharpest decrease occurred between 2006 and 2015, with roughly 25 percent fewer species spotted—even as sightings by citizen scientists were increasing rapidly.

Halictid bees—also called sweat bees for their attraction to our perspiration—pollinate important crops such as alfalfa, sunflowers, and cherries. Observations of these tiny metallic fliers have fallen by 17 percent since the 1990s, the study found. Bees in the rare Melittidae family, which provide us with blueberries, cranberries, and orchids, have plummeted by as much as 41 percent. (The world’s bees are divided among seven families.)

Though lesser known, such wild bees supplement the work of honeybees in managed hives.

READ MORE

https://lbfromlv.wordpress.com/2021/01/24/we-havent-seen-a-quarter-of-known-bee-species-since-the-1990s/

Image by Terri Sharp from Pixabay

Dead Bird Nests Contain 36 Different Pesticides, Including DDT

In ‘clean green’ NZ (not) of course our authorities can kill off 10,000 birds in one drop with 1080 poison (link below article), and believe it or not, they are ‘saving our birds’. EWR

From achnews.org

In Brussels and Florence, people began to express concern over the rising finds of dead newborn birds (tits) in their nests.

When these concerned people notified the bird conservation association Vogelbescherming Vlaanderen and the ecological gardening association Velt, they began a crowd-funded investigation. Over 1000 people sent in dead tits and nests, which were analyzed and a report was published with shocking results.

“We found a total of 36 different pesticides in 95 mesh nests,” Geert Gommers, a pesticide expert said in a statement.

The birds’ nests revealed traces of 36 different fungicides, herbicides, insecticides and biocides. The alarm came when they found traces of DDT, an insecticide banned since 1974, in 89 of the 95 nests examined.

“That DDT is still present in our environment after all this time is worrying,” the statement read.

READ MORE

(NOTE there is a link to the report in the article however the report is not in English, you may have to use google translate):

http://achnews.org/2019/09/16/dead-bird-nests-contain-36-different-pesticides-including-ddt/?fbclid=IwAR2h5uHa2HsF4FW1Y57czEpwjFVo-1oaAKSxNuDYjgzgJNqgouZCUgNfzc4

RELATED:  A NZ LANDCARE SCIENTIST ESTIMATES THE LIKELY DEATH TOLL FROM AN OTAGO 1080 DROP IN 2002 TO BE AROUND 10,000 BIRDS … https://envirowatchrangitikei.wordpress.com/2018/10/14/a-nz-landcare-scientist-estimates-the-likely-death-toll-from-an-otago-1080-drop-in-2002-to-be-around-10000-birds/

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Photo: Report at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yYwh7Av-AZk9uDjDUZdbiw328Cl7u8d2/view

The world’s most evil chemical promoters and food POLLUTERS all exposed at one website

(Natural News) Just like in any federal prison, one can easily locate the dregs of humanity. The worst criminals, liars, thieves, and low-life scumbags always get caught, at least eventually, ruining other people’s lives in the wake of their own greed and indifference. Today, a new “cell block” has been identified, where all the shills, charlatans, hucksters, and journalistic hacks have been cataloged, along with their “mug shots,” so that hopefully their negative impact on human health and the environment can be “arrested” and brought to an end.

Unfortunately, in America, there are many more criminals still “on the loose,” but for now, the worst repeat offenders have been identified and exposed, and their “rap sheets” are available for viewing all at one website.

That’s right, the world’s worst chemical promoters and food polluters have been “jailed” at PolluterWatch.com, and you can take a tour of their “cell block” right now, so you know exactly who is insidiously spreading disease and disorder all over this country with their corporate-scripted propaganda.

Health enthusiasts now have JURISDICTION over the chemical-promoting thugs of America

How are the world’s worst “polluters” ruining so many innocent lives? These shills use all the language of the organic world to describe pesticides and GMOs in order to trick consumers and farmers into believing poisons are healthy and sustainable. They even get paid to post and regurgitate pre-scripted corporate propaganda written by Monsanto, Bayer, Syngenta, Dow Chemical, Dupont, Cargill, and all the other agri-chemical, biotechnology cartels.

READ MORE

https://www.naturalnews.com/2019-02-05-evil-chemical-promoters-and-food-polluters-exposed.html

Photo Credit: Naturalnews.com

COVER-UP: Scientists who find glyphosate herbicide in common foods are silenced or reassigned

(Natural News) Do you know what’s really in the foods you eat? Sure, there’s a list of ingredients on the package, but your food could contain one very toxic substance that isn’t disclosed: glyphosate. You might not be too surprised to find this deadly herbicide ingredient in non-organic fruits and vegetables, but the truth is that it has also made its way into a surprising number of popular foods – and countless unsuspecting people are ingesting this dangerous carcinogen.

The Guardian reports that U.S. government scientists found glyphosate in foods like crackers, cornmeal, and granola cereal. Of course, this information wasn’t publicized; it was uncovered in emails that were obtained through a Freedom of Information request.

For two years, the FDA has been testing food samples for glyphosate residues, but they have yet to release the official results. Nevertheless, one email written by a chemist for the FDA, Richard Thompson, to his colleagues showed how pervasive the problem is.

“I have brought wheat crackers, granola cereal and corn meal from home and there’s a fair amount in all of them,” the Arkansas-based chemist wrote, adding that broccoli was the only food that he happened to have on hand that turned out to be free of glyphosate.

That email was dated in January of 2017. Unfortunately, because he made the discovery while validating his methods of analysis rather than as part of the official checks, the residues are unlikely to make it into any official reports. The FDA’s official findings aren’t usually released until around 2 to 2.5 years after the data is collected.

Meanwhile, FDA chemist Narong Chamkasen discovered levels of glyphosate that exceeded the acceptable levels in corn; the 6.5 parts per million found were well above the legal limit of 5.0 parts per million. Although such levels normally must be reported to the EPA, a supervisor with the FDA informed an EPA official in writing that the corn was not part of an “official sample.” It looks like Americans will never know which corn is going to give them cancer!

In 2016, Chamkasen also found glyphosate in several honey samples, along with oatmeal products. His lab was promptly “reassigned” to other tasks.

Each year, the FDA tests food samples for residues of pesticides to see if any are above the limit. However, they’ve only recently started looking out for glyphosate, despite the fact that it has been used for four decades. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer labeled the chemical a “probable human carcinogen.”

READ MORE

https://www.naturalnews.com/2018-12-23-glyphosate-found-in-common-foods.html?fbclid=IwAR38k3E5RZX0Kyh92AB92zlYJ6wpleQK0CwLG3F8HITiaver0MeocH2xq9s

PHOTO: NaturalNews.com

Pesticides Compound Antibiotic Resistance

From Dr Mercola

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

• Agrichemicals and antibiotics in combination increase the evolution of antibiotic resistance
• Bacteria may develop antibiotic resistance up to 100,000 times faster when they’re exposed to certain herbicides in the environment, particularly widely used herbicides like glyphosate (Roundup) and dicamba (Kamba)
• It’s believed that other chemicals in the environment may also increase resistance in microbes, much like herbicides; however, regulatory agencies don’t regulate or test them for such effects — even among the 3,000 top-volume chemicals produced annually
• Reducing the use of antibiotics may not be enough to stop this looming public health disaster — unless the use of herbicides and other chemicals that affect antibiotic resistance is also curbed

Antibiotic resistance is often pegged as a problem caused by the overuse of antibiotics — and this is a driving factor — but research suggests it may actually be only one piece to the puzzle. Environmental factors may be accelerating the rise of antibiotic resistance as well, particularly widely used herbicides like glyphosate (Roundup) and dicamba (Kamba).

Research from University of Canterbury researchers revealed that agrichemicals and antibiotics in combination increase the evolution of antibiotic resistance. In fact, bacteria may develop antibiotic resistance up to 100,000 times faster when they’re exposed to certain herbicides in the environment.¹

“The combination of chemicals to which bacteria are exposed in the modern environment should be addressed alongside antibiotic use if we are to preserve antibiotics in the long term,” study author Jack Heinemann of the University of Canterbury, said in a news release.²

‘Like Trying to Put Out a Fire of Antibiotic Resistance With Gasoline’

The study found cases when exposure to herbicides made the antibiotics more toxic while at the same time increasing the antibiotic resistance. Heinemann explained why this is an alarming finding:

“We are inclined to think that when a drug or other chemical makes antibiotics more potent, that should be a good thing. But it also makes the antibiotic more effective at promoting resistance when the antibiotic is at lower concentrations, as we more often find in the environment … Such combinations can be like trying to put out the raging fire of antibiotic resistance with gasoline.”

The results suggest that herbicides enhance the ability of antibiotics to become antibiotic resistant and that such resistance may be acquired at rates much faster than those predicted in laboratory conditions. Previously, research by Heinemann and colleagues found that commonly used herbicides promote antibiotic resistance by priming pathogens to more readily become resistant to antibiotics.³

This includes Roundup (the actual formulation of Roundup, not just its active ingredient glyphosate in isolation), which was shown to increase the antibiotic-resistant prowess of E. coli and salmonella, along with dicamba and 2,4-D. Rodale News reported:⁴

“The way Roundup causes this effect is likely by causing the bacteria to turn on a set of genes that are normally off, [study author] Heinemann says. ‘These genes are for ‘pumps’ or ‘porins,’ proteins that pump out toxic compounds or reduce the rate at which they get inside of the bacteria …’

Once these genes are turned on by the herbicide, then the bacteria can also resist antibiotics. If bacteria were to encounter only the antibiotic, they would instead have been killed. In a sense, the herbicide is ‘immunizing’ the bacteria to the antibiotic … This change occurs at levels commonly used on farm field crops, lawns, gardens and parks.”

READ MORE

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/10/30/pesticides-compound-antibiotic-resistance.aspx

The Levin 1080 storage fire should have been a ‘notifiable incident’ with strict health & safety procedures in place

From NO to 1080 use in NZ Facebook community

What exactly happened at the fire at the Horizons Council depot Levin, in January? We know that 1080 and other poisons were kept there. We are not told how much, although it could have been up to 100 tonnes. We know that local residents were not aware of the potential dangers of the toxic fumes that may have reached their homes. Note that the council have admitted that “1080 [poison] casing was damaged in the fire.” We also know that the local DHB and therefore the Medical Officer of Health were not informed about the fire via Fire & EmergencyNZ, nor Horizons, nor WorksafeNZ. This should have been a ‘notifiable incident’ with strict health and safety procedures in place, including an evacuation plan for nearby residents and drainage facilities for the fire equipment that prevented contamination of the water-tables.

Will this ‘investigation’ result in any changes?

Council depot fire to be investigated

Police investigation begins four weeks after fire.

Photo: nzherald.co.nz

An investigation into the suspicious fire at Levin’s Horizons Regional Council depot was stalled for a month due to hazardous substances.

The January fire damaged property, equipment and vehicles stored at the depot.

It was confirmed by police that the depot had been broken into and a quad bike set alight.

Controversial pest control poison 1080 was stored at the depot along with herbicides for weeds, cyanide and rabbit toxins.

Horizons chief executive Michael McCartney confirmed that a 1080 casing was damaged in the fire.

Waste Management Technical Services recently removed and disposed of the hazardous substances, allowing Police to do an internal scene examination on Tuesday.

Mr McCartney said the removal was a complex and time-consuming task but it was now completed and all poisons accounted for.

He said the hazardous substances were not removed immediately following the fire to ensure their casings did not break.

“We did not want to risk moving them until we could ensure this could be done without risk to the environment or human health.”

READ MORE:

 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/wanganui-chronicle/horowhenua-chronicle/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503788&objectid=12000331

Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) – Myths and Truths

Mercola

Published on Sep 20, 2012

The information is based on the new report “GMO Myths and Truths” by EarthOpenSource.org. You can find more information here: http://earthopensource.org/index.php/… http://articles.mercola.com/sites/art… Watch out for the Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) myths and truths which provide educational materials concerning GM foods and health risks.

SOURCE

https://articles.mercola.com/videos.aspx

“The diseases caused by impure water are numerous and fatal” says an MD … Hear what 50+ other MDs say about our need for pure distilled water

Our waterways planet wide are now highly polluted and no longer safe to drink. Consequently, the water that’s fed to us in the town supplies is replete with chlorine, fluoride and other additives to prevent us getting sick. However, there is a long term sickness cost to that. Only 40% of NZ rivers are safe to even swim in now. The Manawatu river is the MOST POLLUTED river in the southern hemisphere. Someone got trench mouth from ingesting that river water. It’s contaminated with spirochetes that cause leptospirosis & lyme disease among other things (all in the article of the last link there). They’ve been polluting our waterways for the past century basically and continue to do so. We can no longer eat what remains of the food in our waterways … the whitebait’s nearly gone, birds are declining, eels are dying. All in the name of profits for the few.

So it’s important to start the conversation on obtaining healthy water to drink. Town supplies are not healthy in the long term. This is a huge subject that’s been widely debated … best to research it & make your own informed decisions before getting sick.

For more info on water & additives the authorities deem necessary for us to consume (even to the point of forcing them upon us), search categories (left of page) or check out our Water pages. The Corporation pages are a good starting point for the origin of all the pollution. Profits before people is their mantra. Watch The Corporation movie & see why.

EnvirowatchRangitikei

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DOCTORS AND EXPERTS WITH THE COURAGE TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT DISTILLED WATER

Distilled water is the only water which runs through all water-based life forms. Here are the writings of doctors and experts who all support the benefits of Distilled Water. Take note of the STEADY, CONSISTENT VOLUME which is recommended by them…

 

DR. ARTHUR R. REYNOLDS:

“It may safely be taught that THE ONLY ABSOLUTELY PURE WATER IS THAT PURIFIED BY DISTILLATION. Instruct the public how distillation can readily and cheaply be done. It furnishes a fruitful yield for the genius that will devise a small distilling apparatus for the use of every family.

It would be safe to teach that the GENEROUS USE OF PURE WATER both within and without the body has never yet done any harm; that the functional ailments that afFlict the great host of mankind, are in a great part due to the fact of the imperfect elimination of waste matter, and that GENEROUS LIBATIONS OF PURE WATER is a most potent agent TO FLUSH THEM FROM THE BODY, through the skin, the lungs, the kidneys and the bowels. The diseases caused by impure water are numerous and fatal.”

—Dr. Arthur R. Reynolds, M.D., Health Commissioner of Chicago, from “Distilled Water and Longevity” by Elmer Ellsworth Carey, Chicago, in Suggestion magazine, Volume 10, January 1, 1903

DR. GARY NULL:

“You should DRINK AT LEAST ONE GALLON of purified water a day. Most of us drink only at mealtime and when we’re noticeably thirsty. Wrong. You can develop a habit of NOT drinking water and walk around being 66 or 67 percent water, instead of 74 percent, which is what your body needs.

When you don’t have the water in you, you won’t ever have the energy you need. The very first thing I do to get people’s energy up is to increase the amount of water in their diet. Immediately, their energy goes up.

When someone has dementia, the first thing I do is give them lots of cold water all day, every day. About three weeks later, I start to see their dementia dissipate because they have rehydrated their brains. Unfortunately, your brain actually shrinks as you dehydrate. By DRINKING LOTS OF PURE WATER, you get better neuron activity and better cellular chemistry, and you’re able to detoxify the cells with water.

READ MORE

http://aquariusthewaterbearer.com/docthttp://aquariusthewaterbearer.com/doctors-and-experts/ors-and-experts/

1 to 5 million cases of pesticide poisoning occur every year

“There’s no problem with the ban of DBCP [dibromochloropropane] within the United States. In fact, it was the best thing that could have happened to us. You can’t sell it here anymore but you can still sell it anywhere else. Our big market has always been exports anyway.” (Executive, AMVAC Corporation)

Toxic herbicides are sprayed liberally around public places with no requirement to warn the public, and often little or no protective clothing worn by the operators

We are living in a world now that is awash with chemicals, found not only in sprays and pesticides, but in our food, water and air. Their use has become largely acceptable now with scant regard often for researching into their possible harmful effects. Any alarms sounded about possible risks are greeted with cries of ‘scaremongering’ or ‘over reaction’ … and yet the  independent research is usually there and often ignored. I’m constantly dismayed at this lack of regard for the evidence, especially since our recent generations consider themselves more enlightened than those of our forbears. We have

What’s in your food?

the knowledge alright, but who will listen and heed it? A video which has encouraged me to keep speaking up about these environmental risks to our health has been that produced by TED talks (they’re on Youtube also) called ‘The Dangers of Willful Blindness’ (the video is on our Home page). Gayla Benefield was just doing her job — until she uncovered an awful secret about her hometown that meant its mortality rate was 80 times higher than anywhere else in the U.S. Worse, when she tried to warn people of her discovery they didn’t want to know! How often we are faced with fact but choose not to believe. We adopt what I call the ‘three monkeys’ approach where it’s assumed, if we neither see, hear nor speak we’re safe … a lot like the ostrich really. But somewhere down the track we run the high risk of it all coming back to bite us on the proverbial rear end!

The Environmental Justice Foundation on pesticide poisoning states that … Across all agricultural sectors, an estimated 1 to 5 million cases of pesticide poisoning occur every year, resulting in 20,000 reported deaths among agricultural workers and at least 1 million requiring hospitalisation….While developing countries account for less than 30% of global pesticide consumption, the bulk of pesticide poisonings occur in a developing world scenario, including an estimated 99% of pesticide-induced deaths…

Read more

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RELATED:

Childhood Pesticide Poisoning (WHO)
Ghana’s Pesticide Crisis

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Check our our Chemicals and Glyphosate pages … particularly note under Chemicals the 1080 page and how NZ is being bombarded with it. We consume the highest amount in the world, gradually ensuring there is a rapidly diminishing wild food supply. Another excellent source of information, a Kiwi site, is the Pesticide Action Network Aotearoa NZ (PANANZ). 

EnvirowatchRangitikei

A Disturbing Prediction – By 2025 Half of All Newborns Will Have Autism

RANGITIKEI ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH WATCH
A disturbing prediction from statistics here. If you are a thinking person, you must do the research and see what has been happening here. Surely in an era of unsurpassed technology and expertise this should not be? Clearly you have an internet connection to be reading this, so research the topic particularly in relation to vaccinations. And keep an open mind. A researcher simply looks at all the facts and makes an informed decision, and there is plenty of information out there to sift through. Don’t just be lazy and accept the status quo. Believe me that’s no longer a safe way of proceeding through life. Here in this article the finger is pointed at, among other things,  glyphosate.
EnvirowatchRangitikei

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The finger is pointed particularly at glyphosate … here it is sprayed on the Rangitikei’s Marton Primary School walkway right by the school, and no warnings of spraying given. The Rangitikei District Council is adamant that glyphosate is perfectly harmless.

by PAUL FASSA

This gloomy prediction was made at a GMO conference in December of 2014 by MIT senior scientist Stephanie Seneff, PhD. Originally a computer and artificial intelligence researcher, Seneff has shifted over the past several years to biology, with a focus on the impact of environmental toxins on our rapidly declining health.

Aluminum toxicity has been an issue with Dr. Senef, so vaccines are part of her equation to autism. But possibly just as much is the pervasive abundance of glyphosate. She and her research partner Anthony Samsel researched the relationship of glyphosate based herbicides (GBH) such as Roundup to the epidemic of many modern diseases, including Celiac, Alzheimer’s and autism.

Glyphosate is present in unusually high quantities in the breast milk of American mothers, way beyond the allowable levels of glyphosate in water. Urine testing shows Americans have ten times the glyphosate accumulation as Europeans.

 READ MORE:

http://www.realfarmacy.com/2025-half-newborns-will-autistic/

EU Parliament backs glyphosate restrictions

Greenpeace Press release – April 13, 2016

Brussels/Strasbourg – MEPs have backed restrictions on the use of glyphosate – the world’s most used weedkiller – and a shortening of its licence, amid rising health concerns.In a non-binding resolution, the European Parliament called for a ban on all uses of glyphosate-based herbicides in private and public green areas, including spraying in and around public parks, playgrounds and gardens. MEPs also called for restrictions on use in agricultural fields shortly before harvesting, and said a new glyphosate licence should be limited to seven instead of 15 years.

Glyphosate is used widely in NZ, in public spaces, roadsides, playgrounds and parks and is recommended for pasture spraying in tertiary text books

The Parliament also called for full disclosure of the scientific evidence behind an assessment of glyphosate by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Environmental and transparency organisations have called for the full publication of this evidence, and criticised glyphosate producers for their reluctance to publish carcinogenicity studies evaluated by EFSA.

Greenpeace EU food policy director Franziska Achterberg said: “MEPs are right to call for tough restrictions of glyphosate use, but these are not sufficient to protect people and the environment. The science shows that glyphosate is a threat for public health and must be banned outright. A ban in cities and gardens would not prevent large-scale contamination of food, water, soil and air.”

 

http://www.greenpeace.org/eu-unit/en/News/2016/EU-Parliament-backs-glyphosate-restrictions/

Thanks To GMOs, We Are Consuming Highly Toxic Pesticides EVERY SINGLE DAY

SOURCE: We Are Anonymous

More than 90% of all soybean, cotton and corn acreage in the United States is used to grow genetically modified crops. Other popular and FDA approved genetically modified food crops include sugar beets, alfalfa, canola, papaya, summer squash, apples that don’t brown and bruise-free potatoes.

However, if you have been led to believe that genetically modified foods were one of the main reasons why the world was enjoying food with less pesticide residues, you are being misled – the fact is, GMOs replaced one class of harmful pesticides with something more poisonous – neonicotinoids, dicamba, 2,4-D, DDT, glyphosate and its family of products including Round Up – and therefore ended up doing more harm than good.

READ MORE: http://anonhq.com/thanks-gmos-americans-consuming-highly-toxic-pesticides-every-single-day/

COMMENT:
Lest you are thinking Kiwis, “we’re not affected by this over here”,  as Kiwis who read the mainstream media often do, think again. Our stock is fed GE food (report the Greens) so it’s in our meat. Our pastures are also sprayed liberally with glyphosate (which our stock eats) and we had trial GE corn grow here in ’99 left to harvest with a raised threshold on GE’s acceptable levels, many thanks to Helen Clarke (all kept from the public at the time). It’s coming by increments. And it’s not labeled of course and since much of the corn and soy products found in so much packaged food now (that companies decline to declare the origins of) a very high percentage of that is GM. Search other GMO articles here under categories and check out the Glyphosate pages.

EnvirowatchRangitikei

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When you thought glyphosate couldn’t get any worse!

“GLYPHOSATE, SYNTHETIC AMINO ACID ANALOG THAT RANDOMLY WREAKS HAVOC IN BIOLOGY
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Scientist Anthony Samsel speaks with Tony Mitra on the fifth paper he is writing on Glyphosate, and explains how, apart from all the other harm this chemical brings to our micro biome and health, it is also a synthetic amino acid and slips into the biology of living kingdom by mimicking glycine, one of the essential building blocks of life.

Samsel says this chemical should be banned, its production and use should be stopped and shut down lock, stock and barrel.” (Tony Mitra’s Youtube channel)

Tony Mitra

Delta, Canada

7 Dec 2015 — As if Glyphosate, the main killer chemical in Monsanto’s VisionMax and RoundUp herbicides were not bad enough already. Now we have further and far more damaging information coming from scientist Anthony Samsel of Deerfield, New Hampshire.

A renowned biochemist and research scientist that has been studying Glyphosate, and other potentially harmful chemicals for a long time, he has four peer reviewed scientific papers already published, along with Dr. Stephanie Seneff, on how Glyphosate provides a pathway to various modern diseases….

Some 21 amino acids are the basic building blocks of life on this planet as we understand it. Glycine is one of them …

Glyphosate mimics glycine. Our body may not distinguish between the two, perhaps because in our evolutionary history, our immune system never had to distinguish between glycine, which we absolutely need in every cell, every tissue, every chromosome and DNA strand, and glyphosate, which we absolutely do not need in our biology….”

Read more

Your essential food: are you checking what’s in it and where it came from?

(Photo Credit: civileats.com)

Food was something up until the 1940s folk just grew out in the back yard … supermarkets were a new invention. Still, many gardeners kept going well into the 1970s, and growing your own food is currently making a huge come back. I recall as a child, unlike in today’s supermarkets, the shop owners went out back and got all the items on your list and put them in a brown cardboard box or paper bags. We also collected raw milk in a billy from the local Dairy and drank it, and believe it or not one of us died from doing that. Neither did I ever hear one report of food poisoning from raw milk. Today our milk is so heated and treated and added to, much of the nutrients have disappeared, and sadly, some countries have banned raw altogether. Check out the health benefits of raw milk:                                                                                                   http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/raw_milk_health_benefits.html  http://www.drdeborahmd.com/health-benefits-raw-milk

(Photo Credit: Food Not Lawns)

I recall as a child, every morning around 5 am awakening to the sound of my father chipping away the weeds in his vegetable garden just outside my window, before breakfast and the working day. He grew everything we ate. And he didn’t spray our vegetables with anything either. He also saved the seed from one plant that he left for that purpose and of course there was an abundance for next season and the neighbours. Nature supplies abundantly although Monsanto would have us believe that GE crops can do better.

Cauli, straight from the garden

(They recently tried suing the Guatemalan people for saving their seed, something they’ve done for hundreds of years). Corporations back in the day had not gotten blatantly greedy enough yet to patent seeds. They have now of course and are busy gobbling up all the companies to tighten their hold on humanity. Then there’s the Food Bill that aims to stop all this sharing and caring by passing our veg over the back fence. What a blasphemy to humanity this is. (A note on the Guatemalan fiasco, this is due to a trade agreement a … think TPPA … the signs are on the wall).

Read more

EnvirowatchRangitikei

GM Cow Trials in New Zealand Show Disastrous Results

Our supposedly ‘clean green’ country (and don’t get me wrong, I love my country) is sold to the world as being GE/GMO free. I’ve been repeating this often on here that we are not. (Read a quote from the Green Party on GE animal feed). Back in 2000 Nicky Hager wrote in his book ‘Seeds of Distrust’ that GE Corn was grown here in several different locations, without the public’s knowledge and obviously without their consent. Once uncovered, the PM at the time,

PM Helen Clarke initially ordered the GE corn be pulled up … then did an about turn (‘Seeds of Distrust’ by Nicky Hager)

Helen Clarke ordered the crops be pulled up and disposed of, however after some discussion and clearly corporate persuasion, the crops were left in and went to full term and harvest. How many other organic or otherwise crops were contaminated? Who knows given the industry is inclined to secrecy and an aversion to labeling of anything containing their poisonous products?  As a result of all this the bar of acceptance levels was raised a little higher, widening the previously thin end of the wedge so to speak. It’s happening by increments folks. So here now we are being told of a 15 year excursion into biological experiments on genetically modified/engineered (whatever you like to call tinkering with nature) cows … and note, with ‘disastrous results’.

EnvirowatchRangitikei

 

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Read the article here, from Sustainable Pulse: 

NZ Cows are fed GE stock feed

“GE Free NZ ‘s report on “GE Animals in New Zealand: the first fifteen years, 2000 – 2015”, documents the world’s first field trials of genetically modified cows, bred to express one of six transgenic protein traits in milk for use as bio-pharmaceutical products. Agresearch has conducted the research at their Ruakura facility in Hamilton.

Using AgResearch’s own records, the report catalogues a sad and profoundly disturbing story that has characterised the genetic engineering (GE) trials.

The surrogate and transgenic cows suffer from chronic illness, reproductive losses, sudden unexplained deaths, and severe deformities.

In the course of fifteen years of experimentation, many thousands of transgenic embryos, predominately developed offshore in private partnership laboratories, have been used…”

“Omission and selective reporting of important experimental data to the media has enabled AgResearch to avoid scrutiny into the tragic results of using animals as bioreactors.”

http://sustainablepulse.com/2015/10/23/gm-cow-experiments-in-new-zealand-show-disastrous-results/#.Viml4uwmytK

Latest news on pesticides, herbicides, Monsanto & more

From Food Democracy Now:

French Court Confirms Monsanto Guilty of Chemical Poisoning

A French court upheld on Thursday a 2012 ruling in which Monsanto was found guilty of chemical poisoning of a French farmer, who says he suffered neurological problems after… read more

U.S. Court Finds EPA was Wrong to Approve Dow Pesticide Harmful to Bees

By: Carey Gillam (Reuters) – A U.S. appeals court ruled on Thursday that federal regulators erred in allowing an insecticide developed by Dow AgroSciences onto the market,… read more

New Study Finds Low Doses of Roundup Might be Tied to Liver and Kidney Damage

The study, published in the journal Enviornmental Health, found that continuous exposure to very low doses of the herbicide Roundup might be linked to liver and kidney damage… read more

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Other:

Montgomery plan to ban lawn pesticides headed for council showdown

Washington Post: Montgomery County’s debate over where and how to ban cosmetic lawn pesticides heats up again next week as Council President George Leventhal (D-At Large) defends his far-reaching bill against a more narrowly drawn alternative.

Leventhal’s bill, scheduled for a committee mark-up on Sept. 17, bars what he calls “non-essential” pesticides from private lawns and most county-owned land, including parks and athletic fields. He cites the body of research linking pesticide exposure to childhood cancer and other health issues. read more (VIDEO)

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For further information on glyphosate, Roundup, links to the WHO report and Rangitikei’s stance with pesticides, go here.

For the research to date on glyphosate go here

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Are councils in bed with Agrichemical companies? They cite grossly inaccurate figures in their defense

Are councils in bed with Agrichemical companies? Both the Auckland & Rangitikei District Council are favouring chemical weed control over non-chemical, in spite of the heightened health risks highlighted recently by WHO. They cite outdated & incorrect data to support this preference. 

Some Aucklanders are currently objecting to a flip flop on their Council’s current weed management policies. A petition has been circulating (and is on FB also  if you would like to sign it) calling (like the Rangitikei) for a ban on the use of glyphosate on Auckland’s streets and parks. Some parts of Auckland are chemical free in terms of weed management however not all, and council is doing a u turn on their current policy of minimal chemical use, indicating in their Ten Year Plan a preference for chemical control.

Public areas are sprayed without any warning before, during or after the fact

Auckland’s Weed Management Advisory (a Community-led organization that helped create the Council’s Weed Management Policy 2013 of minimum agrichemical use, which the Council seems intent on doing away with) are also calling for a BAN on Glyphosate and have put a leaked briefing document up on their website. You can read it here. This is the Long Term Plan featuring quotes for alternative methods of weed management as opposed to management with glyphosate, typically, Roundup. Georgina Blackmore, the petition organizer, states that the figures cited should be taken with a pinch of salt … in fact a very large amount of salt. They are using she says, old, inaccurate and misleading information. “Disingenuous” says Auckland councilor John Watson. The Weed Management Advisory has accused the Auckland Council of putting the public at risk. Read their press statement here.

This line is a very familiar tale. Our own Rangitikei District Council cited inaccurate figures when justifying their rejection of glyphosate-free weed management in our public spaces. We had tried to counter this outcome by citing Auckland contractors who are currently employing mechanical weed control methods. The latter stated emphatically that their costs were a marginal 10-15 percent more than Roundup, and expected soon to even match it. Similarly, with the current Auckland scenario cited here, other Auckland contractors are saying their costs are even less than glyphosate.

When the request for tighter parameters and controls around glyphosate spraying was originally put to the RDC, citing the extensive independent research available on the myriad health risks associated with Roundup use,  an internal report was requested by RDC on alternative cost-effective weed-control methods.  Councilor Lyn Sheridan asked why health effects were not investigated by RDC and the response by CEO Ross McNeill was, ‘…they weren’t asked for’. They are missing the point here.

We need to be asking, why are Councils so bent on, so adamant, about choosing chemical control, and with a chemical that has recently been re-classified by WHO as a Class 2A carcinogen?  Claiming there is insufficient proof of health risks is myopic at best.

Currently, as of 2011, one in three New Zealanders will contract cancer

That statistic is extremely high and surely deserving of closer examination of the research into environmental causes and the elimination of the probable ones?

Walkways and adjacent herbage where both school children & general public regularly walk is sprayed heavily with Roundup/glyphosate

The thing about Roundup is (and you will hear this in the audio link below) we the public are given no warning in advance of spraying, no signs are put out when they are spraying (so people can walk on it before it’s dry without even knowing) it is sprayed on public walkways where school children walk with no prior warning and it is sometimes sprayed on windy days.

Read Georgina’s piece here on her recent findings and her interview on Radio with Auckland Councilor John Watson and Professor Ian Shaw from Canterbury University.

Link to the audio HERE

Read the Scoop’s press release on Weed Management Advisory’s findings here:

Auckland Council Accused of Putting Public at Risk Thursday, 30 July 2015, 11:24 am Press Release: Weed Management Advisory

Auckland Council Accused of Putting Public at Risk

“A complete ban on the spraying of glyphosate, also known as Roundup, on all public land in Auckland is called for after a New Zealand toxicologist confirms heightened risks of the chemical. Leaked documents show Auckland Council trivialising the serious health risk…..”  http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1507/S00578/auckland-council-accused-of-putting-public-at-risk.htm

Auckland Council Budget Committee’s paper on weed management citing false figures for non chemical control:  https://weedmanagementadvisory.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/briefing-note-auckland-council-weed-managment-april-2015.pdf 

Article from Georgina Blackmore (Ban Glyphosate in Auckland NOW at Facebook)

“In an interview I gave on bFM this week about our campaign to ban the use of Glyphosate on Auckland Roads and Parks, Councillor John Watson and expert of Toxicology Professor Ian Shaw both agreed that we need to be seriously looking at what alternatives we have to spraying Glyphosate…” Read at SOURCE:  https://www.facebook.com/BanGlyphosate/posts/417049618496545

Cancer … Environments and Thinking Outside of the Square

Some important truths here about Genetically Modified Organisms (from GMO Free USA) … and a reminder why we need to eliminate known and suspected carcinogens from our environments. As I repeat often on this site, cancer statistics are now one in three. That is far far too high, and the powers that be need to get serious about eliminating the KNOWN risks, as well as the suspected, instead of acting like cancer is a mystery. It’s not. Please read Dr Samuel Epstein’s book called ‘The Politics of Cancer’, or watch the excellent documentary called ‘The Idiot Cycle’ featured here two days ago. They are forever searching for cures whilst both ignoring and suppressing the existing cures, and failing to look at the causes, many of which have already been exposed by independent research. Folks are wising up however and seeking alternative help for themselves, as did the Northland man who used IV Vitamin C to cure his cancer (note this man had had all the chemo he could have and was sent home to die). To learn of the many cures that exist for cancer now see also on YouTube, Cancer is Curable Now and Every Cancer Can be Cured in Weeks, Dr. Leonard Coldwell. Additionally you can visit the website called The Truth About Cancer. There are some of their docos on YouTube plus they occasionally show online their whole series exposing how the medical industry switched its focus from holistic healing to treating symptoms with pharmaceuticals. These are excellent documentaries that feature qualified health professionals including oncologists.

Currently we have an online petition seeking to curtail or stop the spraying of glyphosate (Roundup) in our Rangitikei District’s public places. Glyphosate which is used liberally in our district was recently re classified by WHO as a Class 2A carcinogen, meaning it probably causes cancer. Our Council however continues to ignore the research and WHO’s announcement, whilst on the other hand, many countries are banning it. For further information on glyphosate please visit the Glyphosate page on this site. If you are from the Rangitikei or connected with it in any way, please consider signing the petition. It is surely wiser to eliminate all known and suspected carcinogens.

~ Envirowatchrangitikei ~

Sri Lanka’s New President Puts Immediate Ban on Glyphosate Herbicides … Sustainable Pulse

More on glyphosate … another nation bans it. Since its reclassification by WHO to a class 2A carcinogen, many countries are moving to protect the public:

“Sri Lanka’s newly elected President Maithripala Sirisena announced Friday that the import of the World’s most used herbicide glyphosate will be banned with immediate effect. The release of already imported stocks has also been stopped. Sirisena, a farmer and ex Health Minister,  stated that glyphosate is responsible for the increasing number of chronic kidney disease (CKDu) patients in Sri Lanka and added that the move would protect the Sri Lankan farming community…”

Read the full article here with links to more information on glyphosate: http://sustainablepulse.com/2015/05/25/sri-lankas-new-president-puts-immediate-ban-on-glyphosate-herbicides/#.VWK6qqid6wJ

Will Monsanto’s Roundup Herbicide Soon Be Banned?

From Natural Society … this article recapitulates the progress so far in terms of recent mounting evidence:

“It’s not just the WHO that has raised the alarm over Monsanto’s Roundup and its devastating effects on human and environmental health. Instead, the WHO announcement was simply the most widely reported on Roundup study that we have seen. Sadly, it’s not even the most concerning.

It was back in September of 2014 that the  International Journal of Toxicology published a much more alarming piece on the dangers of Roundup entitled “Glyphosate Commercial Formulation Causes Cytotoxicity, Oxidative Effects, and Apoptosis on Human Cells: Differences With its Active Ingredient.” As you can gather from its name, the study highlighted the multitude of ways in which glyphosate is wreaking havoc on human cells…”

Read more: http://naturalsociety.com/will-monsantos-roundup-herbicide-soon-be-banned/#ixzz3auIKI6A5
Follow Natural Society: @naturalsociety on Twitter | NaturalSociety on Facebook

For an excellent overview of the research go HERE: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/toxic-ingredient/glyphosate-formulations

For more info on glyphosate go HERE: https://envirowatchrangitikei.wordpress.com/glyphosate/

KIWIS

For Kiwis, remember, New Zealand is an avid user of Roundup and glyphosate. It is recommended in our Tertiary Agricultural textbooks, and touted as being completely harmless. Therefore it is sprayed liberally onto pastures and eaten by the stock headed for the market and our consumption. Hence it is found now in human urine, blood and breast milk. It is used by the keepers of our roads and public spaces in towns, by large contractors as well as small.

Educate yourself, read the data and spread the word. There are currently two petitions circulating in NZ, one for Auckland and one for the Rangitikei. I note that one may be coming for all of NZ, the better option really as it is at government level it needs addressing. Councils continue to repeat that glyphosate is government approved. In the meantime however, please consider signing the petitions and stop the ongoing poisoning of our future.

~ Envirowatchrangitikei ~

International Doctors Demand Immediate Ban on Glyphosate Herbicides … from GM Watch

This is from the Feed the World website and via GM Watch, by Claire Robinson.

“The International Society of Doctors for the Environment (ISDE) has written to officials of the EU Parliament and Commission asking for an immediate ban on glyphosate herbicides and four insecticides judged by the World Health Organisation’s cancer agency, IARC, to be probable carcinogens.

The letter states that glyphosate herbicides are associated with health problems such as birth defects, infertility, damage to the nervous system, Parkinson’s disease and several forms of cancer.

The letter adds, “for safeguarding the health of European populations, ISDE states that the rational basis is already strong enough” to justify an immediate and permanent ban…”

Read the article, contains links to the open letter from ISDE: http://feedtheworld.info/doctors-demand-immediate-ban-on-glyphosate-herbicides/ 

Working group quiet on swede test results … NZ

From Radio NZ News:

Test results have revealed that herbicide-tolerant swedes planted as stock feed have unnaturally high levels of toxins that cause liver damage in livestock.

“However, the working group investigating the deaths of 400 cows and sheep last winter in Southland is not commenting.

The test results have raised questions as to why farmers have been allowed to plant the crop again this season.

Documents obtained by Radio New Zealand show the Southland Swedes Working Group was told in October there was a problem with the herbicide-tolerant swedes….”

Read the Article HERE

Related

• Clues expected on toxic swedes
• Cows died from liver damage
• Experts meet to discuss swede deaths
• Group seeks answers over cow deaths
• Dairy cows die after grazing on swedes

Monsanto gets sued for falsely advertising glyphosate as non-toxic to humans … from NaturalNews

More damning evidence about glyphosate from the Natural News site.

“A class action lawsuit, (Case No: BC 578 942) was filed in Los Angeles County California and alleges that Monsanto is guilty of using false advertisement when they say the herbicide is harmless to humans….The lawsuit points out that glyphosate targets the EPSP synthase enzyme, which is found in human and animal intestines. If this enzyme is being wiped out over time, then humans and animals lose their ability to fight off disease. If the CDC is so concerned about the herd immunity of the human race, then why aren’t they taking a stand to stop the mass application of glyphosate?…”Because it kills off our gut bacteria, glyphosate is linked to stomach and bowel problems, indigestion, ulcers, colitis, gluten intolerance, sleeplessness, lethargy, depression, Crohn’s Disease, Celiac Disease, allergies, obesity, diabetes, infertility, liver disease, renal failure, autism, Alzheimer’s, endocrine disruption, and the W.H.O. recently announced glyphosate is ‘probably carcinogenic’.”

Learn more, read the article at: http://www.naturalnews.com/049609_Monsanto_false_advertising_glyphosate.html#ixzz3ZOVxcPZx

The Glyphosate Presentation to the Rangitikei District Council Pt. 3 … Outcome

Following on from the RDC meeting in late March 2015 where the topic of eliminating the spraying of glyphosate in urban Rangitikei’s public places was discussed following a report by Council into cost effective alternatives. If you missed the previous parts, follow the links to Part 1 and Part 2 before continuing here.

The Cost Effective Alternative

Returning to the Council discussion that day, Cr Ash raised the issue regarding cost effective alternatives to spraying Glyphosate. As outlined there, the alternatives were explored in the Council report however some of the detail was incorrect. It was claimed hot water treatment is fifteen times more expensive than chemical spraying. In fact, a company in Auckland, whose contact details I had supplied prior to the completion of the report, was prepared to present information to Council on their system that can operate at the small margin of 10-15% more than chemical spraying. That price, says the company director,  is set to drop even further by the end of 2015 to be on a par with that of chemical spraying. This option however was never pursued and by all appearances isn’t going to be.  According to the recent Rangitikei Mail article,   Mayor Andy Watson, who was not available for comment,  “endorsed the council’s position based on the commissioned report”. The RDC will only be establishing a no-spray register where those who wish to opt out can, and they take responsibility themselves for keeping that area weed free. A no-spray register is standard practice in many cities. If you wish to avoid any other exposure to public spraying activity, basically you can’t, and I’ve seen folk spraying in fairly high wind around here. I’ve also observed children walking on the regularly used track that they take to school … within minutes of being sprayed. The label on Roundup packaging warns about spraying on calm days and waiting for the product to dry before touching what is sprayed. My initial presentation had also included a request for warning the public of imminent spraying and/or the placing out of signs saying spraying is in progress.  Nobody has been agreeable to this either. Neither the contractors nor RDC.

The Market

One of the bonuses we’ve been told about market competition is that prices will be driven down. In this respect I’ve suggested in previous discussions with those concerned here that surely the Council need only seek quotes for chemical free treatment from several competing contractors then secure the most favourable price. During my own research a contractor in one city who applies a salt solution to hardstand areas, said they were simply told to submit a quote for chemical free treatment. For some reason that remains unclear to me, the RDC prefers to lean favourably towards helping the current contractor, Fulton Hogan,  to continue the status quo, and are not willing to introduce any competition.  Surely this would benefit the rate payers. It is possible a local contractor may go even lower than the current one. The Auckland company is willing to look at working with and training a suitable contractor to establish its system of hot water and foam here in Marton.

In Summary

The important matter for me in all this, is health. There is a very long list of health issues with glyphosate and research clearly states it is a ‘probable carcinogen’. Class 2A. I’m left wondering, are people really interested in figuring out what causes cancer?

Bear in mind also, this product is sprayed all over pastures so it has to be in much of our food. It has been found in blood, urine and even breast milk.  As I pointed out in my presentation, the cancer stats are now ONE  in THREE. So one third of your friends / acquaintances / family will statistically be affected by this terrible

The Seralini Rats

plague, and plague it is. I personally can name three brushes with it in my close family. In one branch of my extended family, three deaths from it. In another, two. Among friends, two deaths. These stats are very high. Common sense should be telling us to err on the side of caution and when an organization like WHO is sounding warnings, why are we not listening? Or should I say, why are they not listening?

So, in summary, should you be interested in curbing the spraying of chemicals in your vicinity, be prepared for possible unpleasantness and vilification. Not for the faint hearted. I have received similar from the contractors themselves, one, when I asked him not to spray near my flat, walked right by me spraying within inches of my feet.  The company has now agreed to a compromise and they are weed whacking again. I am spraying a non toxic spray under the trees, at their request and at my own expense.

For further information on glyphosate visit the glyphosate page on this site. You will find direct links to the extensive research near the bottom of the page. (You can view the actual research reports by the researchers themselves). There is also the very defining video by Professor Seralini illustrating his research conducted for two years on lab rats, after which France’s highest Court ruled Monsanto had deceived the public about the safety of their product.

Pam Vernon

~ EnvirowatchRangitikei ~

Rangitikei Mail reports on Rangitikei District Council’s Spraying decision

Spraying Decision Dismays

By Caroline Brown

A Marton resident says she is disappointed with the council’s decision to continue using a chemical-based herbicide for weed control.

Pam Vernon claims the council has side-stepped health concerns about the main active ingredient of Roundup – glyphosate – and instead focused on cost.

The Rangitikei District Council voted on March 26 to maintain existing methods of weed control and to formally establish no-spray lists. Residents choosing to be on the no-spray list would be responsible for the upkeep of the land.  The council contracts the spraying of urban areas to Fulton Hogan.

The council requested a report on alternative methods to chemical spraying for weeds after Vernon raised her concerns around the safety of current methods in a presentation at the end of last year.

Non-chemical sprays, pastes, gas burning and hot water treatment were investigated in the report as alternative options for the treatment of weeds. The council report indicated that cost was a prohibitive factor to many alternative methods.

At the meeting Cr Cath Ash questioned the report’s indication that hot water treatments were 15 times more expensive than herbicide and suggested the council contact some providers for quotes. Ash said the council had an obligation to consider alternative methods to chemical spraying in light of research by the University of Canterbury into the risks of glyphosate and the World Health Organisation suggesting glyphosate was a potential carcinogen.

Vernon said she also had issue with the report’s conclusion on the cost of hot water treatment. She said she had contacted a provider and was told that while at the moment it would be about 10 to 15 per cent more expensive by the end of this year it would be cost comparable.

Vernon said she decided to make a presentation to the council last year after ongoing issues with spraying around her property. She said it was good to finally have a formal no-spray register, however she did not think it went far enough.

“I believe the council are not really interested in finding another option.”

Mayor Andy Watson was not available for comment but in a statement endorsed the council’s decision based on the commissioned report.

 

The Glyphosate Presentation to the Rangitikei District Council Pt.1

Following on from the recent update on the chemical spraying presentation made to the Rangitikei District Council forum in November 2014, and featured in the Central District Times recently,  I’ve offered some thoughts on the Council process. This may be informative for some, and  may also dispel some illusions about our so-called democratic processes.

A few weeks ago at the last Council meeting, March 26th, a verdict was given  by RDC about the presentation … chemical sprays in public spaces. (The terms Glyphosate and Roundup are used interchangeably here. The active ingredient in Roundup is Glyphosate). To bring you up to speed with the original presentation, you can read it at this link … https://envirowatchrangitikei.wordpress.com/2014/12/10/a-presentation-to-council-regarding-chemical-herbicide-spraying-in-public-places/  

The Process

When anyone presents an issue of concern at a Council forum the time limit is five minutes which includes question time, so it is really only four. Bear in mind with an issue this large this is not long. I had to condense my case to the quintessential and speak at top speed. Also bear in mind that in attending Council meetings there is little if any space for actual dialogue around issues. Five minutes is it. The process is not that people friendly (one Cr didn’t hide the fact he found the issue humorous) nor conducive to meaningful interaction or problem resolution. The Mayor, Andy Watson, allowed two questions from the Councilors … one centered around other possible alternatives. These I provided as I’d researched them. The other was not a question, rather it was to tell me that Horizons could provide the correct information about spraying parameters / guidelines / exposure etc. That completed I was duly thanked for my presentation and I sat down. I quietly whispered to  a member of the Community Committee who was also there that day, asking her what happens next (quietly because you’re not supposed to be talking in there … and the Community Committee by the way, is a conduit group between community and Council).  It appears that I should have asked specifically for somebody to get back to me on the issue. Since I hadn’t,  that could well have been the very last I’d have heard about the issue.  Now who ever would know that ‘minor’ technicality about being heard? It could have effectively disappeared into the black hole, forgotten forever. As good fortune would have it however, after I’d left and the meeting continued, Cr Sheridan voted for the matter to be put on the Agenda. It was seconded by Cr Ash. The Council was going to research other NZ Council methods of weed treatment and write a report.

The History

Now, bear in mind here, seven or so months prior, I’d emailed Council citing the research on the health risks of using glyphosate sprays (the herbicide of choice by most councils throughout the country). This research had been dismissed as ‘unproven extrapolation’.  Cr Ash, and myself, had then met with the Mayor to discuss the research and the possibility of using non chemical sprays in the urban areas. He had sent us each away to research weed control methods used by other Councils with the prospect of RDC’s possibly considering  a  non-chemical alternative that was cost-effective … should we find one that is. In addition, information was given regarding how to get this issue onto the agenda using Council protocols. By all appearances, to the uninitiated, a very convoluted process. Because of these prior happenings, I already had a great deal of information on other councils, so later, I emailed contact details for an Auckland contractor with a cost effective hot water treatment.

During the interim I endeavoured to email updates to the Mayor and all Councilors about the surrounding facts on this issue since four minutes had clearly not enabled me to do this.  In addition I kept them up to speed with all the latest research that comes in at quite a steady pace these days. Councilors apparently, have a great deal of information to wade through I’m told,  so there are seldom any responses. Not even an ’email received’ message.

The Research

Anyway, regarding the research (and the case against Glyphosate is mounting) the latest is the World Health Organization’s announcement that Glyphosate probably causes cancer (and I see Dr Oz weighing in on this as well). In addition, Canterbury University has said Glyphosate causes resistance to antibiotics. Neither the

The Seralini Rats

Mayor, the CEO nor the Councilors (bar two) are impressed by WHO’s research, or any of the large body of research that is available on Glyphosate. Not surprising since our Government approves it,  end of story.  Note here, many governments have actually banned it though and France’s highest Court ruled that Monsanto (the manufacturer) has lied about Roundup’s biodegradability.  Sadly, with the way Council works, there has been no opportunity for dialogue on this issue. Still, I do not believe it is rocket science.  I would be placing my money on WHO, Professor Seralini’s evidence and France’s highest Court, as opposed to the wisdom of the Rangitikei District Council in Marton or the NZ government (aka corporation) that says it is GE free by the way and is not. Remember, Monsanto initially tested their lab rats for the required ninety days … not long enough for tumours to develop. Professor Seralini’s team tested them for two years… long enough to grow enormous tumours.

Why is Monsanto not now re-testing for two years themselves to prove to the public their product is safe? And why was it so difficult for Prof Seralini to even get a sample of their Glyphosate-laced GM corn to use in his research?

(Watch the Seralini video HERE or read the damning transcript). Would you buy a used car on the car salesman’s word alone? This is historically what the authorities have done with Roundup. It’s all been on Monsanto’s say so.  Read more about the RDC’s decision in my next post.

Pam Vernon

~ Envirowatchrangitikei ~

Massey Researcher Seeks Farmers, Orchardists, Horticulturalists for Health Research into Sprays

From ‘Rural Women New Zealand’

“Massey University Research Nurse, Heather Duckett, wants to talk to farmers (sheep & beef, dairy, deer), orchardists and horticulturalists/flower growers in the Lower North Island from Taranaki across the Central Plateau to Hawke’s Bay and south to Wellington as part of her research into the use of sprays (pesticides, fungicides and herbicides) and the effects on health.

She wants to contact 50 farmers who either use sprays or who may enter paddocks after spraying has been done.

The research is around the higher risk these people face as an occupational group of developing blood and lymph node cancers.”

To find out more information email: H.G.Duckett@massey.ac.nz, or call (06) 350 5064.

Click here to view an Information Sheet about the study.

– See more at: http://www.ruralwomen.org.nz/news-and-inspiration/health-research-into-pesticides#sthash.zkiisGZz.dpuf

The Real Reason Wheat is Toxic (it’s not the gluten)

Here is an article that traces many allergic issues back to glyphosate that is sprayed on wheat crops before harvest. A regular practice apparently that kills the plant and allows an earlier harvest. Great idea if you don’t mind ingesting a herbicide that’s been linked with many diseases including birth defects and cancer.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, as of 2012, 99% of durum wheat, 97% of spring wheat, and 61% of winter wheat has been treated with herbicides. This is an increase from 88% for durum wheat, 91% for spring wheat and 47% for winter wheat since 1998.

Read the full article  from the healthyhomeeconomist website HERE