The Partial Observer by Maureen Dill

The Last Roundup

It seems today that the terms “herbicide,” “pesticide,” and “fungicide” have become synonymous with the words “cancer,” “leukemia,” and “lymphoma,” as Monsanto products have been found to be toxic to the environment and human health. Since 1901, Monsanto had been in the weed-killing business—whether pesticides, herbicides or fungicides—but there has apparently been a significant cost to human life and wellbeing.  

As the result of the massive financial and reputational blows caused by ongoing litigation in recent years concerning Monsanto’s herbicide, Roundup, the German pharmaceutical giant Bayer has merged with Monsanto, the largest producer of genetically-engineered seeds. Bayer has assured that the politically-charged name “Monsanto” will be disappearing, while product names will remain the same.

The well-worn pages of our family’s copy of Rachel Carson’s 1962 book, “Silent Spring,” contain a dedication to Albert Schweitzer, who said: “Man has lost the capacity to foresee and to forestall. He will end by destroying the earth.” Our mother, Florence, we now recognize was among the earliest environmentalists, long before the time this label became a badge of honor. Her notes and news clippings tucked into the pages of the book attest to this. Among the first readers of “Silent Spring,” I vividly recall the many efforts to discredit Carson’s book—writings that disclosed the price we were paying for the use of pesticides.

Carson was attacked viciously by Monsanto, then-manufacturer and distributor of DDT.  The corporation followed the playbook of the tobacco industry—that created doubt and manipulated data concerning the dangers of smoking cigarettes—in their attempts to discredit Carson. They were even successful in getting the American Medical Association to attack Carson, but then-President Kennedy defended and vindicated her. DDT was a “flagship” product for Monsanto, but this pesticide was subsequently banned when cancers caused by DDT became known, not to mention reports of the illnesses and deaths of the men spraying the product on weeds along our nation’s roadsides.

Where There Is Smoke

The information that follows has been gleaned from credible journals and research.

Glyphosates are among the herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides found in our food chain and in our bodies today. Glyphosate is a synthetic herbicide and crop desiccant, classified as a pesticide since 1974. Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer containing the chemical compound glyphosate has been sold by the manufacturer for more than 35 years. Having always been a “connect the dots” kind of person, and since learning more about Roundup, I question why Roundup with glyphosates is still on the market. What can be done about the sale of products containing glyphosates? Is the sudden rise in gluten intolerance—celiac disease and “leaky gut”—related? Why the rash of hospital patients diagnosed with unidentified “auto-immune diseases”? Why the need today for people to routinely ingest probiotics in order to improve the “flora” in their intestinal tracts? In 2021, why was Bayer ordered to set aside $31 billion in order to satisfy the estimated 25,000 claims pending against the product due to the link found between glyphosates and the cancer Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma?