Does Glyphosate Cause Cancer?

The word glyphosate has been ubiquitous for the past few years. Anti GMO groups have been pushing for laws that punish those who use this herbicide in their corps. Law suits are a common thing now on these companies using glyphosate. Primarily the company Monsanto. I will debunk some of the myths and concerns  of this herbicide, such as : does glyphosate cause cancer?. Where is it coming from?. What is it used for?. And other related topics.

Recently bayer AG had a law suit by a former employee alleging that the herbicide was the cause  for his lymphoma cancer. However a California judge issue a tentative ruling for a new trial on the $250 million punitive damages awarded to this employee. A former groundskeeper, who sought to hold the Roundup product maker responsible for his condition. Bayer is a German company who recently bought out Monsato, the US seed and pesticide giant.

But what is glyphosate?

Glyphosate is a herbicide, apply to the leaves and plants, to kill both broadleaf plants and grasses, the sodium salt form of glyphosate is used to regulate plant growth and ripen fruit.

How does it work?

When apply to plants it prevents the plants from making certain proteins that are needed for plant growth. Glyphosate stops a specific enzyme pathway. The shikimid acid pathway, which is necessary for plants and some microorganisms. Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world . Monsanto pioneered the genetic engineering of corn, soybeans and other crops to survive the chemical.

Most of the nearly 11 billion in crop seeds sold anually by Monsanto and genetically modified to resist glyphosate. The chemical safety came under global scrunity after in 2015 the international agency for research on cancer classified glyphosate as likely’ having the potential to cause cancer. Monsanto and other agricultural groups pushed back, but the classification prompted lawsuits and regulatory challenges.

Is organic food free of glyphosate?

While organic farming certifications prohibit the use of glyphosate, organic products don’t always end up completed free of glyphosate residual. While these news may come as disappointing, it is not entirely surprising. Glyphosate use has skyrocked in the past decade, and it maintains the ability to adhere to water and soil particles long enough to travel through the air, or in a stream to nearby organic farms. It’s presence in the environment is unavoidable.

The truth is that both conventional and organic foods have pesticides. Nate Lewis an organic farmer and policy director of the organic trade association, states: it is a futile effort trying to convince a consumer, they are  wrong about their choices. The consumer should choice what they prefer, right or wrong.

In summary we found glyphosate  used in many areas of our lives. According to  Emeritus professor Ben Singler in a recent ABC news interview, says : literature quoted looks at carcinogenic risk and the hazards. By way of example he says, our roads contain asphalt, comprising high concentrations of dangerous  chemicals but we live with it. He argues; that  glyphosate is not a high risk substance. Round up products  break out easily, leaving no trace elements.

My recommendation as a certified  nutritionist, and long time researcher on the subject,  is that everyone should wash their vegetables and fruits thoroughly and then soak them in vinegar for 20 minutes. It’s proven that vinegar can killed bad bacteria and pesticides residues in fruit and vegetables. I also don’t think that this round up product usage is causing any threats since most companies are spraying their corps responsibly and has been the case for decades.  At the the other end of the spectrum, I do believe that working with it constantly without the right protection can be absorbed by the skin pigments and caused hodkin lymphoma. The plaintiff Dewayne Johnson suing Monsanto, is likely to win his case and obtained compensation.

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