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?

First synthetized in the 1950s, the herbicide didn’t see widespread commercial use until much later, when Monsanto brought “Roundup Ready” genetically modified seeds to the industrial agriculture market—seeds genetically modified to be resistant to glyphosates. After introducing this weed killer to the market in 1974, they then hired scientific experts more than 20 years later to conduct a secret safety review of their product. Records reveal that the scientists raised concerns and called for more testing, but Monsanto executives refused. 

Glyphosate-based herbicides are among the most widely used herbicides on the planet. Monsanto had used every possible tactic to protect its “star” product, and, according to credible reports, their studies of glyphosate safety in scientific literature had been corrupted.

In a 2017 Reuter’s publication, it was reported that significant changes had been made between a draft of the International Agency for Research on Cancer assessment and the published version. The agency refused to say who made what changes or why. In recent years, juries and judges have looked at the evidence, dismissing the manufacturer’s claims of product safety, and there have now been million-dollar awards in individual cases filed against Roundup.

Collateral Damage

Glyphosate has now been tied to an increase in celiac disease, more generally known as gluten Intolerance. For 59 years, Roundup has been used to protect crop products, approved and used in agriculture and food production, vegetation management, lawn care, gardening and more (per the Bayer website). It is, however, a growing health problem worldwide, but especially in North America and Europe. Interesting to note, however, that Bayer, having purchased Monsanto, now owning the Roundup brand, announced in 2021 that it would cease selling Roundup in the residential lawn and garden market in 2023, citing risks to farm workers and consumers from exposure to this toxic herbicide as the primary reason for their decision. 

It is estimated that more than 80 percent of Americans have been exposed to glyphosate, as the volume of glyphosate applied to crops has increased 100-fold since the late 70s. Glyphosate is among the herbicides identified as the most significant causal factor of other health problems, including chronic diarrhea, skin rashes, nausea, and possibly macrocytic anemia and depression. Research suggests that glyphosate may suppress healthy gastrointestinal flora, including microbes needed to digest gluten (more about that later in this report). In 2006, researchers identified glyphosate as a carcinogen, at a time when celiac disease and gluten allergies began exploding, but victims were unable to litigate until 2016.  

Glyphosate is applied to more than 75 different food crops, and according to recent CDC reports, has been detected in the urine samples of 80 percent of adults tested. The link to Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma has been documented, as there are now an estimated 10,000 people afflicted with this cancer traced directly to glyphosates. Recently, Bayer has reportedly been forced to allocate $31 billion to satisfy pending legal claims.

In the past there had been ghost-written reports (prepared by Monsanto and their testing labs), publishing fraudulent results. As far back as the ‘80s, the EPA had classified glyphosate as a carcinogen, but in the end, it was the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that decided to go along with Monsanto, with the FDA now suspected of collusion with Monsanto. In 2003, Monsanto’s chief toxicologist stated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has since claimed it was not carcinogenic. Monsanto even launched a campaign to discredit the World Health Organization announcement that glyphosate was a probable human carcinogen. The lobbying corporation, CropLife, advocated for Monsanto, stopping the panel from evaluating glyphosate. In 2019, there was an estimated 41 percent increase in cases of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Gut Instinct

Following decades of use as an herbicide, in 2010 glyphosate was patented as an antibiotic, highlighting the compound’s impressive antimicrobial activity (US Patent No. 7771736 B2). While the proponents of glyphosate have always maintained that it has no effect on human or animal cells, an ever-increasing amount of research suggests that the herbicide/antibiotic not only suppresses healthy gastrointestinal flora but also can cause neuro inflammation by directly infiltrating the central nervous system, killing friendly bacteria in our digestive tract.

Glyphosate exposure has been implicated in the manifestation of a variety of disorders in the human body, including the potential effect on the composition and functionality of the gut microbiome. Research is finding that the composition of each individual gut microbiota significantly affects health, and for this reason, the potential of glyphosate to inhibit the growth of beneficial microbes in the gut or alter their functionality is an important topic that warrants further consideration.

Given the widespread presence of glyphosate in the environment, residue exposure/ingestion is a risk factor for humans with potential consequences for the human gut microbiome. The gut microbiome is home to a wide range of microorganisms and has been associated with several essential host functions, including immune system development and homeostasis, modulation of energy metabolism, colonization resistance against pathogens, and production of bioactive metabolites. It is connected with the functioning of other organs of the body, including the skin, lungs and brain. Today, there are also alarming reports of an increasing epidemic of anxiety and depression, with research demonstrating that glyphosates may interfere with the hormones responsible for good feelings.

While this article focuses primarily on glyphosates, fungicides are also applied on fruits and vegetables to prevent or kill fungal diseases. And although the potential human health harms of fungicides aren’t as well studied as other herbicides or pesticides, emerging evidence suggests many widely used fungicides may disrupt the hormone system as well.

We Are What We Eat

Glyphosates are in our foods—in wheat products, bread, pasta, fruits, vegetables and just about every food product we enjoy. They are not only sprayed on 70 percent of our food and grain products, but these glyphosate-laden grains are fed to our livestock, thereby increasing the concentration of these contaminants through the food chain. Glyphosates have even been found in California wines, but as people have become more aware of the hazards of this product, the wine industry has now taken measures to curtail its use on their vineyards. It is clear that the herbicide can cause serious harm to human digestion. Many communities are now demanding that Roundup glyphosate products not be sprayed on school grounds.

The Environmental Protection Agency should take concrete regulatory action to dramatically lower the levels of glyphosate in the food supply and protect children’s health. One environmental agency lists the following as the 2024 “Dirty Dozen” foods: strawberries, spinach, kale, grapes, peaches, pears, nectarines, apples, bell and hot peppers, green beans, cherries and blueberries. The herbicide is also found in GMO corn syrup, GMO canola oil, high fructose GMO corn syrup, crops desiccated with Roundup, and beef from cows fed GMO corn and soy.

When buying foods, it is recommended that we look for products certified as glyphosate-residue free and buy organic non-GMO whenever possible. Food experts recommend purchasing only organic, locally-grown products made from glyphosate-free grains. Among the prepared food items on the “Worst Offenders” list are: Honey Nut Cheerios, Nature Valley Granola Bars, Nature Valley Rolled Oats Bites, other Nature Valley fruit and nut bars, and Multi Grain Cheerios.

Non-organic produce is loaded with fungicides that may also harm human hormone systems. Eat “green” fruits and vegetables with the lowest amount of herbicide or pesticide residues (according to the Environmental Work Group): avocados, non-GMO sweet corn, pineapples, onions, papaya, asparagus, honeydew melons, kiwi, cabbage, mushrooms, cantaloupe, mangoes, watermelon, and sweet potatoes.

At Home and Abroad

The U.S. uses 30 percent more of this herbicide product than all other nations. While it appears that the U.S. and UK are among the few nations that have not attempted to either ban glyphosate or restrict its use, there are nations across the pond that are taking action in their courts to restrict use of this product. Who recalls the protracted environmental movement’s intent upon removing PCBs from the Hudson River? Or DuPont Chemicals having poisoned the waters in West Virginia with its Teflon byproducts?

In 2016, in the U.S., the FDA developed a selective residue method for testing for glyphosate residues and began testing of samples of soybeans, corn, milk, and eggs for glyphosate residue. They completed preliminary testing of these four commodities in 2017 and expanded testing to other foods in 2018. California has led the charge against Monsanto, with several cities and counties banning or restricting glyphosate. Germany has banned Roundup in public spaces and plans to completely ban it by the end of 2023. In France, the Netherlands, and Belgium, glyphosate is banned for household use.

Austria and Luxembourg have tried but failed to ban glyphosate. Mexico has pledged to outlaw the use of glyphosates by 2024. In total, 40 Canadian communities have restrictions or bans on glyphosate. British Columbia has enacted a total ban in public parks and outdoor gardens. Quebec is attempting to prohibit its use altogether, and has already banned its use in forest management. Vietnam is the only country in Asia to have fully banned the use of this chemical.

Agriculture and Farming

Roundup is a favored chemical in the agriculture industry, allowing it to be sprayed on genetically-modified crops, destroying only the weeds. Farmers rely on herbicides like Roundup due to their effectiveness in combatting weeds and invasive plant life that can be highly detrimental to large crops. Glyphosate residues in wheat and other crops are likely increasing recently due to the growing practice of crop desiccation just prior to the harvest. In recent years, farmers across the U.S. are being advised to give their about-to-be harvested crops a final spray of glyphosate products, as those products act as a desiccant, thereby drying the crops and saving wear and tear on the harvesting equipment.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­A Cautionary Tale

While in 2016 the WHO announced it had determined glyphosate is probably carcinogenic, in contrast the EPA maintained that its scientists have found that glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans. With such drastically different findings, it is hard for the American public to choose which one to believe. However, the CDC found toxic weed killer in 87 percent of the children tested, with food being the main route of glyphosate exposure for children aged 18 and under. For anyone who may be confused or uncertain due to conflicting studies and reports concerning glyphosates and other like products, it’s suggested that one should err on the side of caution. Know the source of the foods you are consuming, buy organic and non-GMO products, and visit your local farmers’ markets. When you can, buy local produce that you are certain hasn’t been sprayed. To help avoid glyphosate toxicity, the CDC recommends not walking barefoot in sprayed areas, or waiting until after a rainfall or watering; thoroughly washing all produce, fruits and vegetables before eating; washing your hands after handling plants that have been treated with the product; and keeping children away from pesticides, herbicides, etc., and areas recently treated with such products.

Lastly, and of equal importance, contact your state and federal legislators to demand products such as these be banned, before our earth and soils are irrevocably damaged; at the same time, take measures to stop chemical corporation lobbyists in Washington, in order to ensure that our government protects the people and our environment from products such as these.

Maureen Dill is a retired social worker and former disaster preparedness and response planner, having served as human services and emergency services director for two international nonprofit charitable organizations.