A new study is linking heavy use of glyphosate to a range of health problems and diseases, including Parkinson’s, infertility and cancers.
The peer-reviewed report, published last week in the scientific journal also claims to have found evidence of glyphosate residues in food.
Those residues enhance the damaging effects of other foodborne chemical residues and toxins in the environment to disrupt normal body functions and induce disease, according to the report, authored by Stephanie Seneff, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Anthony Samsel, a retired science consultant and a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
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“Negative impact on the body is insidious and manifests slowly over time as inflammation damages cellular systems throughout the body,” the study says.
We “have hit upon something very important that needs to be taken seriously and further investigated,” Seneff said.
The Environmental Protection Agency is conducting a standard registration review of glyphosate and has set a deadline of 2015 for determining if its use should be limited. The study is among many comments submitted to the agency.
But Monsanto, the developer of Roundup, and other industry experts have said for years that glyphosate is proven safe, and has a less damaging impact on the environment than other commonly used chemicals.
“We are very confident in the long track record that glyphosate has. It has been very, very extensively studied,” said Jerry Steiner, Monsanto’s executive vice-president of sustainability.
