California EPA Moves to Label Monsanto's Roundup 'Carcinogenic'
9/5/15
The California Environmental Protection Agency announced today that it plans to label glyphosate — the most widely used herbicide and main ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup — as a chemical "known to cause cancer." The World Health Organization's research arm also recently found that the chemical is probably carcinogenic to humans, and research has also linked glyphosate to the steep decline of monarch butterflies. And as we reported this week, scientists have increasingly raised new alarms about potential negative health impacts tied to Roundup, including a recent study suggesting that long-term exposure to tiny amounts of the chemical (thousands of times lower than what is allowed in drinking water in the US) could lead to liver and kidney problems.
Today's announcement from the EPA's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment is officially a "notice of intent" to list this pesticide as carcinogenic, giving the public an opportunity to comment on the proposal through October 5. The action falls under Proposition 65, a measure voters approved in 1986 that requires the state to publish a list of chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harms. The state regularly updates the list, which now includes hundreds of chemicals. Under Prop 65, businesses must provide a "clear and reasonable" warning before exposing people to a chemical on the list. The warning could be labels on a consumer product, workplace postings, distributed notices at apartment buildings, or a notice published in a newspaper.
Environmental activists celebrated the state EPA's announcement today, noting that it could be a first step in eventually restricting the use of the chemical. (The listing does not lead to a restriction or ban on sales of the product)....
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/SevenDays/archives/2015/09/05/california-epa-moves-to-label-monsantos-roundup-carcinogenic
It's a step in the right direction.
Ctr for Biological Diversity
For Immediate Release, September 4, 2015
SACRAMENTO, Calif.— California’s Environmental Protection Agency has announced that it will list glyphosate — a widely used herbicide dangerous to people and linked to the dramatic decline of monarch butterflies — as a chemical known to cause cancer. Earlier this year the World Health Organization found that glyphosate, commonly known as Roundup, was a probable human carcinogen based on extensive research.
“California’s taking an important step toward protecting people and wildlife from this toxic pesticide,” said Dr. Nathan Donley, a staff scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity.
“More than 250 million pounds of glyphosate are used each year in the United States, and the science is clear that it’s a threat to public health and countless wildlife species. It’s long past time to start reining in the out-of-control use of glyphosate in the United States.”
World usage of glyphosate is at an all-time high. Its use increased more than 20-fold, from 10 million pounds in 1990, largely due to the widespread adoption of crops, particularly corn and soy, that are genetically engineered to withstand what would otherwise be fatal doses of glyphosate. Accordingly, glyphosate residues are now found on 90 percent of soybean crops.
In addition to being carcinogenic, recent research indicates, chronic, low-dose exposure to glyphosate can lead to liver and kidney damage.
“The spike in usage of glyphosate is really concerning because more use equals more exposure,” said Donley. “It’s nearly impossible for people to limit exposure to this toxin because it is just so widespread. That’s why we need much tighter controls on its use.”
Recent studies have pointed to glyphosate as one of the leading causes of the decline in monarch butterflies because it destroys milkweed, the monarch caterpillar’s sole food source. The ever-increasing use of Roundup on genetically engineered crops has nearly eliminated milkweed from midwestern agricultural fields, with devastating consequences for monarchs.
Monarch butterflies have declined by more than 80 percent in the past 20 years — the same period of time during which glyphosate use has grown exponentially.
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The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 900,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2015/pesticides-09-04-2015.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
Love it!!
on Pivot about the honey bee collapsing hive issue and finished reading an article in Rolling Stone about the same issue.
And what is really scary is that without this little wondrous creature--------------our food and other resources will cost more------------- a lot more, and the EPA really needs to ask about the neonicotiniods clothianidin and other hazmat pesticides that are being put on GMO seeds and being planted, and then having this stuff being transmitted to the honey bee and into our system, this is scary.
And when the EPA and the oligarchies producing this stuff put this toxins onto the foods and you ask for information and you don't get any information, the question needs to asked ----why?
Because the oligarchies like Monsanto, Bayer, Cargill and others have bought and played with the data and have not been forth coming, they say its company information and cannot be disclosed , DDT got banned for a very significant reason------------
Why, do we not have organic farming-------------because of costs, the data does not show any differences, in fact the data may show otherwise.
This is based only on the oligarchies producing a toxin for pure greed only, this idea of producing a modified crop to prevent plant disease is wrong---------they also create antibodies----look at our flu shots------its getting harder to prevent
I think its time to put the legislator's and the poison factories on notice-----------------why are you killing us and the that little bee-----I mean really why.
Argentina: The Country that Monsanto Poisoned? Photo Essay *UPDATED*
http://overgrowthesystem.com/argentina-the-country-that-monsanto-poisoned-photo-essay/
