A shocking statistic was found in a report from the U.S. Geological Survey, a study of pesticide and herbicide use from 1992 to 2012. During the two decades, an estimated 2.6 billion pounds ofMonsanto’s glyphosate-based herbicide was used on America’s agricultural land. It’s been the primary herbicide used with genetically engineered crops since mid-1990s when Monsanto introduced their “Roundup Ready” corn and soybeans.
A time-lapse video with a map of United States, used in the Environmental Working Group (EWG) article “2.6 Billion Pounds of Monsanto’s Glyphosate Sprayed on U.S. Farmland in Past Two Decades,” shows the dramatic spread of the use of Roundup.
This is very troubling considering the mounting evidence of serious health risks associated with exposure to glyphosate. A Huffington Post article from April 2013 covered a study that showed a wide range of health risks possibly linked to Roundup. The list included various cancers, Parkinson’s and infertility.
The EWG time-lapse video shows that Roundup use is especially heavy in the Midwest. I checked to see if there was any evidence of higher rates of cancer in that region. According to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, “breast cancer incidence rates are highest in the Northeast, followed by the Midwest and the South. But death rates from breast cancer are highest in the Midwest.”
A June 2015 Reuters article stated that “personal injury law firms around the United States are lining up plaintiffs for what they say could be ‘mass tort’ actions against agrichemical giant Monsanto Co that claim the company’s Roundup herbicide has caused cancer in farm workers and others exposed to the chemical.”
Though glyphosate use in America is massive, other parts of the world are banning it.
An August 2015 article in The Guardian stated, “Retail outlets across Europe are taking glyphosate – the main ingredient of Monsanto’s Roundup – off their shelves, despite government officials declaring it safe to use.”
In June 2015, a Natural News article reported that France banned the sale of glyphosate.
As independent news sources have widely reported, our federal government has an incestuous relationship with Monsanto, so I don’t expect any legislation restrictingglyphosate use in the near future.
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