Global Ban on Glyphosate Called for by Portuguese Medical Association President
As pesticide use peaks
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President of the Portuguese Medical Association, José Manuel Silva, is calling for a worldwide ban on Big Ag’s most used herbicide, glyphosate. With so many health concerns surrounding the chemical, its days are surely numbered. [1]
The announcement follows the World Health Organization’s Cancer research arm, the IARC, called glyphosate ‘probably carcinogenic,’ followed by the State of California’s move to force Monsanto to label Round Up bottles with a carcinogen warning.
The Portuguese Parliament approved the new statutes of the Portuguese Medical Association, which allow for a significant improvement in its management, organization, and response time. Issues of ecological stewardship are among Silva’s concerns. He reminded his peers that even Pope Francis has been emphasizing ecological issues.
Among these is the use of glyphosate. This is the most used herbicide in Portuguese agriculture and urban areas for weed control.
As reported by SustainablePulse:
“In the last decade, glyphosate use has increased about 50%, with 1400 tons applied in 2010 alone. In total, more than 130 million tons a year are used around the world. Because of this glyphosate is routinely detected in food, air, rainwater and rivers, urine, blood and even breast milk.” [1]
Ecowatch states that between 1996 – 2011, the widespread use of Roundup Ready GMO crops sparked an increased herbicide use in the U.S. by 527 million pounds—even though Monsanto claimed its GMO crops would reduce pesticide and herbicide use.
Glyphosate is used so profusely that the legal limits have had to be stretched in many countries for it to be allowed. Numerous studies are now showing that the overwhelming amount of glyphosate used is causing increased risk factors the development of celiac disease, infertility, congenital malformations, kidney disease, autism and other pathologies.
‘Mortality in acute intoxication varies between 3.2 and 29.3%, mostly by pulmonary or kidney disease, or both. The various pathological mechanisms for glyphosate are well-known and include changes in the intestinal micro-biome, disruption of cytochrome P450, vitamin deficiencies, metal chelation, molybdenum and selenium deficiencies, etc.’
These findings are duplicated again and again, even though mouthpieces for the biotech industry swear that glyphosate in breast milk should be of no concern. The industry claims:
“Human exposure to glyphosate most often occurs from the very minute amounts that remain on food that is consumed. Since it is among the safest agents used to control weed growth the US Environmental Protection Agency has set an Allowable Daily Intake (ADI) of 1750 micrograms (ug) of glyphosate for every kilogram (kg) of body weight.”
But even if this is true, they are discounting ample evidence that more glyphosate is being used, and it interacts with other chemicals that cause environmental and health degradation.
Many studies argue that the amount of glyphosate people are being exposed to is far higher than earlier estimates provided by the industry. Americans are more at risk for increased exposure than Europeans, too, since so many of our crops – soy, corn, cotton, etc. are grown with Monsanto’s GM ‘Round Up Ready’ seeds.
The president further notes that 3 of the studies referenced by the IARC showed a connection between glyphosate exposure and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), whose incidence has increased significantly in the last 30 years.
Furthermore, two additional bits of information suggest the IARC is erring on the conservative side. The first is that evaluations have focused on the active ingredient – glyphosate itself – even though the commercial formulation contains other chemical compounds, often called ‘inert ingredients.’
For example, herbicides such as glyphosate are often mixed with POEA, polyoxyethylene alkylamine, to make the herbicide glyphosate more efficient. Meanwhile, POEA is known to be more highly toxic than glyphosate.
Consistent research shows that a significant share of the pesticides’ total toxicity may be attributed to these adjuvants, or inert ingredients. Despite its benign reputation, Roundup is among the most toxic herbicides used anywhere in the world.
Moreover, human beings are exposed simultaneously to chemical compounds of multiple origins which may interact synergistically. Once you add glyphosate to the other 5.2 billion pounds of various pesticides used around the globe annually, it is a toxic mix like none one could imagine.
Silva argues:
“Taken together, this data suggests that a careful reflection on glyphosate’s future, and globally on the management of food chemical risks, is in order. The worldwide acknowledged precautionary principle says that, in the face of clear evidence of harm, action to protect human health and the environment should not wait for final scientific evidence. For glyphosate the conclusion is clear: this herbicide should be banned worldwide.”
He says that in Portugal the Government and the Directorate-General for Health must take the lead. Economic interests cannot, and must not, suppress the moral imperative of citizen health protection. The sluggishness of legal procedures does not excuse inertia either.
Sources:
Featured image sourced from Inhabitat
 | Christina Sarich is a humanitarian and freelance writer helping you to Wake up Your Sleepy Little Head, and See the Big Picture. Her blog is Yoga for the New World. Her latest book is Pharma Sutra: Healing the Body And Mind Through the Art of Yoga. |
YES!!!! Ban it forever!
Lol, dream on.
U R too late – the Monsatan demise has started, all you can do now is post trollish comments.
Yes with gmos STILL being planted at a 90+% rate, and with the new roundup/dicamba soybeans just being released for 2016 planting thanks to Chinese approval, it is looking really dismal isn’t it.
GMO TROLL ALERT
Yes when you have no real reply lets try and call someone a troll. That’s a real loser tactic.
typical troll comment
Advocating environmental pollution and death and destruction, based on a lie is trolling. You have yet to prove these nutritious foods and how many lives you have saved, ie trolling.
Who’s the loser here?
Anybody that listens to your corporate and fascist propaganda!!
I don’t spend my time trying to figure out how many people my customers and I have helped to provide food for, but after all, I’m not all about the credit like you seem to be. How sad t is to be you.
How is it sad to be me, your still here because of me and those like me. Obviously we have done our jobs and very effectively, might I add.
Attacking your protectors isn’t considered a good endeavor.
LOL, attack all you want there mommies little moron. If you only knew anything about what you were whining about.
Fascism requires protectors, because their ideologies are weak as are they. Eventually the people become aware.
The fascists have a need to establish fear through propaganda and enforce their ideologies through varied forms of manipulated and coerced protectors.
Fascists are weak scared punks, incapable of protecting themselves, as are you, surrounded by fear of discovery and failure.
That describes you using fear to try and scare people away from gmos instead of using the truth.
Actually, that explains using ideology, opinion, assumptions, generally lacking facts, to apply to the propaganda efforts to demonize those opposed to genetic pollution and chemical pollution and the systematic destruction of the environment and protection of the natural processes of the world.
Anybody that fears and is scared of an anonymous internet poster deserves to live in their fear.
LOL, I guess that is why you hide in the basement.
Ahh, Now your also the all knowing expert on my life.
ESP expert or maybe you have another vague example of non-proof of your allegations?
Does everybody hide in basements, seems to be your standard go to method.
Not making as many claims about you as you have my life. Difference is I’m right and it kills you.
So the difference is that your always right?
No one else has the ability to be right?
I don’t have the right to question?
Your stupid vague claims aren’t to be questioned by us low class peons?
This is the internet, we are all full of crap until proven otherwise, LMAO.
If it hurts your feelings, go to a safe place.
It takes more than your weak lies to hurt my feelings.
the difference is,
I can be wrong, take responsibility, adapt and correct. You can’t and it kills you.
And nobody see’s a problem with all of this, lmao.
No wonder the Nation is going down the toilet.
Good work fascist your manipulated and well sought poverty is coming to the people.
Yes a good supply of nutritious food always leads to poverty, you moron.
BS is BS, it doesn’t matter who is supporting it.
As to your reference of nutritious food, You have provided zero examples.
Your buddies are very active at creating poverty, at least you know where your standing.
Fascist.
Yes helping to feed the world with affordable nutritious food.
Just over 50% of the US foods come from other countries.
Just who exactly is it your providing these fictitious nutritious food to?
Maybe you can provide some examples of your miracle’s.
The world moron
Glyphosate is a “tactical herbicide”:
MCRP 3-37C Flame, Riot Contol Agents and Herbicide Operations
https://ia802603.us.archive.org/31/items/milmanual-mcrp-3-37c-flame-riot-contol-agents-and-herbicide-ops./mcrp_3-37c_flame_riot_contol_agents_and_herbicide_ops..pdf