Roundup Weedkiller May Contain A Carcinogenic Chemical: World Heath Organisation

[6Foot2]

Link: Weedkiller alert over cancer link - Telegraph

 

This story doesn't seem to be getting coverage: Perhaps it should?

 

The World Heath Organisation has declared that glyphosate, one of the UK's most popular herbicides marketed as Roundup, is 'probably carcinogenic'

 

The World Health Organisation’s cancer agency has declared that one of the UK’s most widely used weedkillers is “probably carcinogenic to humans”.

 

Amateur gardeners and professional farmers have been urged to “think very carefully” about using the popular herbicide Roundup, which contains glyphosate...

[TomHD]

That is Monsanto stuff, the most evil corporation in the world imo. They'd be happy destroying the planet as long as they turn a disgustingly huge profit each year!

[jinnantonnixx]

Be cautious with newspaper reporting of science. The media often sees terms and phrases used in scientific literature and takes them out of the scientific context.

 

This is the source IARC article.

http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/iarcnews/pdf/MonographVolume112.pdf

 

Glyphosate at very high doses is harmful to humans. The dose is the poison, as they say. Glyphosate, Malathion and Diazinon are designated IARC group '2A', which means "probably carcinogenic to humans".

 

http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Classification/

 

That means that there is "limited evidence" of carcinogenicity in humans, but sufficient evidence in experimental animals. "Limited evidence" means a positive association has been observed between exposure to the agent and cancer has been noted, but other explanations (chance, bias, confounding) for the observations can't be ruled out.

 

Glyphosate does not appear to be a human health risk even at levels of exposure that are higher than that recommended by the product’s labelling.

http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/10408444.2014.1003423

Review of genotoxicity biomonitoring studies of glyphosate-based fo... - PubMed - NCBI

 

It's always wise to use chemicals cautiously and with respect, but I wouldn't be too concerned by this publication.

Edited March 21, 2015 by jinnantonnixx

[Andrew_C]

Err... Slow news day? Glyphosate has been banned in professional use for years.

[plexer]

Err... Slow news day? Glyphosate has been banned in professional use for years.

 

Has it? Source please.

 

Ben

[TonyS]

As an ex kiwifruit grower over 15 years and still to this day at home sprayed 10,000 ltrs of the stuff.

 

I think car fumes are more of a concern to peoples health than roundup

[Andrew_C]

Has it? Source please.

 

Ben

1st hand from the head-gardener for the RHS at Rosemoor, now moved on. (My little bro')

[Foresthippy]

Glyphosate is still very much in use, certainly in agriculture.

[woodham]

Not banned at all and the stuff you and I can buy is way weaker than the stuff farmers are allowed and nowhere near as effective

 

CRD | General | Concerns About The Use of Glyphosate

 

Q9. Why does the Government not ban glyphosate?

 

The Government feels that the regulatory process for authorising plant protection products (PPP) is a robust system. The authorisation process takes into account all scientific knowledge available.

 

All products which contain glyphosate must be individually authorised in Member States. Applicants for authorisation must show that their products are effective, humane and pose no unacceptable risks to people or the environment. If their products were to pose such risks, they would not be authorised; or if such effects were discovered later, they would be withdrawn.

 

Neither the EU’s assessment of glyphosate as an active substance nor the UK’s assessments of applications for authorisation of products which contain it have found the substance unacceptable for use.

[synaesthesia]

The WHO are as bad as greenpeace though, more interested in scaremongering than promoting world health.

[Andrew_C]

I'm sure that's waht my bro' said. Suppose it could have been a "local rule" in the RHS...

[6Foot2]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB4p-5Fhd30

 

...you can drink a whole quart of it and it won't hurt you...

[plexer]

Stupid comment to make and then back pedal but that doesn't prove that it is harmful.

 

Ben

[6Foot2]

Stupid comment to make and then back pedal but that doesn't prove that it is harmful.

 

Ben

 

Quite so. I would be worried about someone willing to drink weedkiller. However this is no way to support his case.

 

I used to work as a Pharmaceutical Analyst and I am aware of the precautions we had to take when working with those compounds. I am sure that similar precautions exist for weedkiller ingredients. The last time I was in the lab was over 20 years ago: In that time I expect that there are even more controls/regulations to control exposure to chemicals for all workers in such environments.

 

Advocating the drinking a quart of a weedkiller component is idiotic at best.

Edited March 27, 2015 by 6Foot2