Glyphosate and cancer: Read how this deadly weed killer promotes multiple myeloma, leukemia, sperm damage, infertility, kidney damage, autism, endocrine disruption, DNA damage and birth defects
Tuesday, May 03, 2016by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Tags: glyphosate, cancer, Roundup weedkiller
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Of course, that claim holds about as much scientific credibility as Big Tobacco's claim that "smoking cigarettes doesn't cause lung cancer or heart disease" -- the "scientific" mantra of the tobacco era... dutifully repeated by the Journal of the American Medical Association for decades, by the way.
The truth, of course, is that smoking cigarettes causes cancer. So does eating glyphosate. It's basic biochemical cause and effect. Those who deny this link are denying the laws of chemistry and biology.
To help you understand the enormous scale of glyphosate toxicity, I've assembled a few quotes from some of my favorite books. Feel free to use these quotes in your own work, and you can cite this article as the source.
Enjoy!
The book quotes
Following is a list of toxic effects caused by glyphosate, AMPA, and Roundup as revealed in animal studies, laboratory studies in human cells, and human epidemiological and clinical case studies: Severe liver and kidney damage + Chronic kidney disease; Disruption of hormonal systems which can potentially lead to multiple organ damage and hormone-dependent cancer; Developmental and reproductive toxicity, including damage to sperm and miscarriage and premature birth + Disruption of beneficial gut bacteria, favouring the growth of botulism-causing bacteria in cows; Damage to DNA; Birth defects; Neurotoxicity; Cancer.- GMO Myths and Truths A Citizens Guide to the Evidence on Genetically Modified Crops by Claire Robinson Mphil and Michael Antoniou
Even at very low doses of exposure, glyphosate kills placental, embryonic, and umbilical cells. Glyphosate is associated with genetic damage (mutations), including chromosomal aberrations, even at doses below those recognized as "safe.” The herbicide acts as a potent endocrine disruptor, which can affect future reproductive health of young boys and girls. Glyphosate was even implicated recently in the development of autism, neurobehavioral problems in children, and other neurological diseases, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Glyphosate - and other components inherent to using GMOs - are linked to conditions such as increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut), imbalanced gut bacteria, immune activation, food allergies, impaired digestion, and damage to the intestinal wall. Eating GMO crops impairs fertility in livestock. Above all, glyphosate impairs detoxification and was called out by the World Health Organization (WHO) as possibly causing cancer.
- The Dirt Cure Growing Healthy Kids with Food Straight from Soil by Maya Shetreat Klein MD
Glyphosate is toxic According to the Journal of Pesticide Reform, "Symptoms of exposure to glyphosate include eye irritation, burning eyes, blurred vision, skin rashes, burning or itchy skin, nausea, sore throat, asthma and difficulty breathing, headache, lethargy, nose bleeds, and dizziness. Glyphosate and glyphosate-containing herbicides caused genetic damage in laboratory tests with human cells, as well as in tests with laboratory animals. ... Exposure is linked with increased risks of the cancer non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, miscarriages, and attention deficit disorder, as well as Parkinson's disease. Exposure to mouse testicular cells (Leydig cells) resulted in a 94% reduction in sex hormone production. In a study on human cells, a non-toxic concentration of Roundup as small as "100 times lower than the recommended use in agriculture, significantly disrupted the activity of aromatase - an enzyme crucial to sex hormone production.
- Genetic Roulette The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods by Jeffrey M Smith
Monsanto has convinced millions of farmers, the American government, and the European Commission that glyphosate is safe. Yet the picture is not so clear. Studies published in 2010 show glyphosate causes birth defects in frogs and chicken embryos at amounts smaller than farmers and gardeners leave in food. Older studies document other dreadful effects of glyphosate, including cancer, endocrine disruption, damage to DNA, and deleterious malformations of the reproductive, neurological, and developmental systems of animals and humans. Researchers also link glyphosate to miscarriages in humans and livestock. Monsanto and government authorities have known about the toxic effects of glyphosate since the 1980s. And both the industry and regulators have kept the public in the dark. Genetic engineering, in other words, represents imperial politics of the worst kind, aiming at no less than the control of the world's food by agribusiness.
- Poison Spring The Secret History of Pollution and the EPA by E G Vallianatos and McKay Jenkins
A report commissioned by the provincial government of Chaco, Argentina, found that the rate of birth defects increased fourfold and rates of childhood cancers tripled in only a decade in areas where rice and GM soy crops are heavily sprayed with glyphosate and other herbicides. A review of studies on the health effects of pesticides used with GM herbicide-tolerant crops concluded that the precautionary principle was being flouted. Studies have linked an epidemic of chronic kidney disease in Sri Lanka and other countries to exposure to Roundup. The authors propose that glyphosate becomes toxic to the kidney when it mixes with "hard” water containing metals, or with heavy metals like arsenic and cadmium, where they are naturally present in soil or added as fertilizers. The authors argue that glyphosate binds to these substances and carries them to the kidneys, resulting in tissue destruction.
- GMO Myths and Truths A Citizens Guide to the Evidence on Genetically Modified Crops by Claire Robinson Mphil and Michael Antoniou
Some data suggest that glyphosate - an herbicide found in Roundup - is associated with the skyrocketing numbers of celiac cases as well as increases in cancer, Parkinson's, thyroid disease, and kidney disease. We're exposed to plenty of Roundup by way of our wheat. At harvesttime, wheat crops are sprayed with Roundup up to six times, to kill it, so that it releases its seed more easily. This increases crop yield, which is good for business, but as a result we are consuming ever-increasing amounts of the toxic herbicide each time we eat wheat-based products. According to the USDA, as of 2012, 99 percent of durum wheat, 97 percent of spring wheat, and 61 percent of winter wheat had been treated with herbicides - a significant increase since 1998. Roundup may well play a role in the increase in food allergies through numerous means, including killing particular gut bacteria, impairing detoxification, depleting nutrients, and improperly triggering the immune system.
- The Dirt Cure Growing Healthy Kids with Food Straight from Soil by Maya Shetreat Klein MD
Studies show that the herbicides used on GM crops - Roundup (based on the chemical glyphosate), glufosinate, 2,4-D, and dicamba - are toxic to humans and animals. In 2015 the World Health Organization's cancer agency declared that Roundup, used on over 80% of GM crops worldwide, "probably” causes cancer. Levels of glyphosate found in human urine are similar to levels found to stimulate human breast cancer cell growth in cell culture. Safety tests of pesticides conducted for regulatory approvals are based on the old notion that toxicity always increases with dose and the low levels we are exposed to are safe. This is out of step with research that shows that pesticides can cause endocrine (hormone) disruption and harm to health at low doses that regulators classify as safe. In addition to the primary active ingredient (glyphosate in the case of Roundup), pesticides contain additives or "adjuvants”, which are not well tested for safety.
- GMO Myths and Truths A Citizens Guide to the Evidence on Genetically Modified Crops by Claire Robinson Mphil and Michael Antoniou
Studies published in 2010 show glyphosate causes birth defects in frogs and chicken embryos at amounts smaller than farmers and gardeners leave in food. Older studies document other dreadful effects of glyphosate, including cancer, endocrine disruption, damage to DNA, and deleterious malformations of the reproductive, neurological, and developmental systems of animals and humans. Researchers also link glyphosate to miscarriages in humans and livestock. Monsanto and government authorities have known about the toxic effects of glyphosate since the 1980s. And both the industry and regulators have kept the public in the dark. Genetic engineering, in other words, represents imperial politics of the worst kind, aiming at no less than the control of the world's food by agribusiness. In early January 2012, Catholic cardinal Peter Turkson accused the merchants of the genetic engineering of crops of breeding economic dependence and a new form of slavery. However, Monsanto remains implacable.
- Poison Spring The Secret History of Pollution and the EPA by E G Vallianatos and McKay Jenkins
Glyphosate is associated with genetic damage (mutations), including chromosomal aberrations, even at doses below those recognized as "safe.” The herbicide acts as a potent endocrine disruptor, which can affect future reproductive health of young boys and girls. Glyphosate was even implicated recently in the development of autism, neurobehavioral problems in children, and other neurological diseases, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Glyphosate - and other components inherent to using GMOs - are linked to conditions such as increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut), imbalanced gut bacteria, immune activation, food allergies, impaired digestion, and damage to the intestinal wall. Eating GMO crops impairs fertility in livestock. Above all, glyphosate impairs detoxification and was called out by the World Health Organization (WHO) as possibly causing cancer.
- The Dirt Cure Growing Healthy Kids with Food Straight from Soil by Maya Shetreat Klein MD
Another problem with GMO foods is they contain glyphosate residues. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Monsanto s herbicide Roundup - the most common weed killer in the United States. If you are consuming foods containing wheat, sugar, corn, or soy, unless they are organic, they will contain glyphosate residues. Glyphosate is a hormone disrupter and has been clearly linked to infertility and miscarriage in cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, and poultry that are raised on GMO feed. Glyphosate has been linked to hormone-dependent cancers, even at extremely low levels. A 2013 study in Entropy concluded that glyphosate may be "the most important factor in the development of multiple chronic diseases and conditions that have become prevalent in Westernized societies.” The study further concluded that glyphosate may "enhance the damaging effects of other food-borne chemical residues and toxins in the environment to disrupt normal body functions [including gut bacteria] and induce disease.
- The Great American Health Hoax - The Surprising Truth About Modern Medicine by Raymond Francis
Aluminum and glyphosate can synergistically induce pineal gland pathology: Connection to gut dysbiosis and neurological disease. Myth: Many long-term studies show GM is safe. Truth: Few long-term studies have been carried out, but some show toxic effects from GM food. Myth: At a glance some GMO proponents and scientists say that many long-term animal feeding studies have concluded GM foods are safe. But this is false. Few long-term and in-depth studies have been carried out and several studies that have been conducted have found toxic effects. Long-term animal feeding studies are important because they can detect adverse health effects of a GMO diet that can take time to show up, such as organ damage and cancer. Most studies on GM foods are short- or medium-term. No regulatory authority anywhere in the world requires animal feeding studies beyond 90 days in rats (equivalent to only 7-8 years in a human).
- GMO Myths and Truths A Citizens Guide to the Evidence on Genetically Modified Crops by Claire Robinson Mphil and Michael Antoniou
Indeed, in 1999 Swedish researchers reported that this herbicide triggers non-Hodgkins type cancers (the most numerous which have no known genetic anchor), and mainstream medical journals, such as Cancer have reported on various other cancers triggered by Roundup; type glyphosate +cancer into your Internet search engine for a full list. In order to avoid a financial slump when Roundup becomes open to generic competition, Monsanto spent much of the 1990s to develop what's known as the "traitor" and "terminator" genes which have a genetically built-in dependence on Monsanto herbicide products to make saving seeds impossible. Their development caused an uproar throughout the world. In India, when the government approved experimental trials with these types of GE plants, protesting farmers committed mass suicide publicly in front of South Indian government buildings by drinking the allegedly safe herbicide Roundup.
- Dispatches From the War Zone of Environmental Health by Helke Ferrie
According to French and international bodies, glyphosate is considered an irritant that may produce severe eye lesions, and [is] toxic for aquatic organisms,” Marc reports. "According to the World Health Organization, the U.S. EPA, and the European Community, the use of glyphosate in accordance with the manufacturers ‘instructions therefore poses no human health risks. . . . However, several epidemiological studies have demonstrated a correlation between exposure to glyphosate and cancer. Roundup Triggers the First Stage of the Development of Cancer. In fact, while regulatory agencies have continued to classify glyphosate-based herbicides as "not a human carcinogen,” a series of epidemiological studies tend to demonstrate exactly the opposite. For example, a Canadian study published in 2001 by the University of Saskatchewan showed that men exposed to glyphosate more than two days a year had twice the risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of men never exposed. These results were confirmed by a Swedish study published in 2002 by Lennart Hardell (the dioxin specialist) and his colleagues, which compared the health of 442 users of glyphosate-based herbicides with a control group of 741 nonusers,18 as well as by an epidemiological investigation of farmers in the American Midwest by the National Cancer Institute. Another epidemiological study in Iowa and North Carolina of more than 54,315 private and professional users of pesticides suggested an association between the use of glyphosate and multiple myeloma. Another epidemiological study in Iowa and North Carolina of more than 54,315 private and professional users of pesticides suggested an association between the use of glyphosate and multiple myeloma.
- The World According to Monsanto by Marie-Monique Robin
Roundup Ready soybeans convert much of the applied glyphosate into a metabolite called AMPA (aminomethylphosphonic acid) with unknown health properties. In one study, the beans contained 3 mg/kg of glyphosate and up to 25 mg/kg of AMPA."The presence of high AMPA residues in Roundup Ready soybean was not anticipated and presents a new type of consumer exposure. Glyphosate is toxic according to the Journal of Pesticide Reform, "Symptoms of exposure to glyphosate include eye irritation, burning eyes, blurred vision, skin rashes, burning or itchy skin, nausea, sore throat, asthma and difficulty breathing, headache, lethargy, nose bleeds, and dizziness. Glyphosate and glyphosate-containing herbicides caused genetic damage in laboratory tests with human cells, as well as in tests with laboratory animals. ... Exposure is linked with increased risks of the cancer non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, miscarriages, and attention deficit disorder, as well as Parkinson's disease.
- Genetic Roulette The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods by Jeffrey M Smith
Glyphosate was even implicated recently in the development of autism, neurobehavioral problems in children, and other neurological diseases, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Glyphosate - and other components inherent to using GMOs - are linked to conditions such as increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut), imbalanced gut bacteria, immune activation, food allergies, impaired digestion, and damage to the intestinal wall. Eating GMO crops impairs fertility in livestock. Above all, glyphosate impairs detoxification and was called out by the World Health Organization (WHO) as possibly causing cancer. A 2014 study from MIT researcher Stephanie Seneff convincingly correlated the precipitous increase in chronic conditions - celiac, thyroid disease, kidney disease, and others - with the increased use of glyphosate. Urinary levels of glyphosatein chronically ill subjects were significantly higher than healthy individuals.
- The Dirt Cure Growing Healthy Kids with Food Straight from Soil by Maya Shetreat Klein MD
In 2015 the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) declared that glyphosate herbicide is "probably carcinogenic to humans”, based largely on compelling data from animal carcinogenicity studies. Public health crises linked with Roundup exposure In South America a public health crisis has emerged around the spraying of Roundup herbicide on GM Roundup Ready soy, which is often carried out from the air. The spray drifts into people's homes, schools, food crops, and watercourses. It has been blamed for marked increases in serious health problems, including birth defects and cancer.
- GMO Myths and Truths A Citizens Guide to the Evidence on Genetically Modified Crops by Claire Robinson Mphil and Michael Antoniou
Older studies document other dreadful effects of glyphosate, including cancer, endocrine disruption, damage to DNA, and deleterious malformations of the reproductive, neurological, and developmental systems of animals and humans. Researchers also link glyphosate to miscarriages in humans and livestock. Monsanto and government authorities have known about the toxic effects of glyphosate since the 1980s. And both the industry and regulators have kept the public in the dark. Genetic engineering, in other words, represents imperial politics of the worst kind, aiming at no less than the control of the world's food by agribusiness. In early January 2012, Catholic cardinal Peter Turkson accused the merchants of the genetic engineering of crops of breeding economic dependence and a new form of slavery. However, Monsanto remains implacable.
- Poison Spring The Secret History of Pollution and the EPA by E G Vallianatos and McKay Jenkins
Enlarged liver in an experiment conducted by Monsanto scientists, rats fed the company's GM glyphosate-tolerant oilseed rape (canola) over four weeks developed enlarged livers, often a sign of toxicity. Monsanto followed up with another experiment, this time comparing the GM canola with a range of eight different canola varieties, thus widening the range of variation and obscuring any effects of feeding the GM canola. This allowed Monsanto to conclude that the canola was as safe as other canola varieties. Disturbances in digestive system and changes to liver and pancreas female sheep fed Bt GM maize over three generations showed disturbances in the functioning of the digestive system, while their lambs showed cellular changes in the liver and pancreas. Excessive growth in the lining of the gut Rats fed GM potatoes for only ten days showed excessive growth of the lining of the gut similar to a pre-cancerous condition, as well as toxic effects in multiple organ systems.
- GMO Myths and Truths A Citizens Guide to the Evidence on Genetically Modified Crops by Claire Robinson Mphil and Michael Antoniou
But the researchers used the same strain that Monsanto had used in its 90-day study on the maize and in its rat studies with glyphosate. And this strain is a standard one used in long-term toxicity studies and in cancer studies as well. So if the use of that strain invalidates Seralini's study, it also invalidates those Monsanto studies and the all the other studies in which it's been employed -studies that include many other GE foods. Moreover, the absurdity of the argument looms larger in light of the fact that the rats consuming the GE maize (or the Roundup alone) displayed a quicker onset of tumors, and a higher incidence of them, than did the control rats - which demonstrated that something besides their pedigree exerted a tumor-inducing effect. Yet, although their criticisms were utterly unwarranted, a host of GE advocates doggedly maintained the effort to discredit the study.
- Altered Genes Twisted Truth How the Venture to Genetically Engineer Our Food Has Subverted Science by Steven Druker
Although glyphosate is the "active” ingredient, Roundup contains many so-called "inert” ingredients. In herbicides, inert ingredients can be more toxic than the active one, and the combination of active and inert ingredients may surpass the toxicity of the chemicals on their own. Several studies demonstrate that Roundup is far more toxic than glyphosate. For example, while Roundup is toxic to human placental cells at levels 10 times lower than those found in agricultural use, the toxicity of glyphosate alone was measured at half or less. In an animal cell study, Roundup - but not glyphosate alone - disrupted the cell cycle, "the universal process by which cells reproduce.” This may be linked to human diseases, including cancer and Roundup caused significant changes in rat liver activity, while glyphosate alone had no effect.
- Genetic Roulette The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods by Jeffrey M Smith
Above all, glyphosate impairs detoxification and was called out by the World Health Organization (WHO) as possibly causing cancer. A 2014 study from MIT researcher Stephanie Seneff convincingly correlated the precipitous increase in chronic conditions - celiac, thyroid disease, kidney disease, and others - with the increased use of glyphosate. Urinary levels of glyphosate in chronically ill subjects were significantly higher than healthy individuals. Glyphosate residues are neither removed by washing nor broken down by cooking. The herbicide residue remains on food for more than a year, even if processed, dried, or frozen. Bt toxin, also a pesticide (derived from a sporeforming bacteria), has now been genetically added to GM corn. When insects ate crops sprayed with Bt, it attacked their gut walls and killed them - but then was washed off. Now GM corn produces Bt toxin, which we consume, and which may similarly damage our own guts.
- The Dirt Cure Growing Healthy Kids with Food Straight from Soil by Maya Shetreat Klein MD
It has been found in livestock feed made by soybeans and corn genetically engineered to withstand glyphosate ("Roundup soybean meal and com”). In addition, the pathogen has been found in pigs, cattle, and other animals that have been struck by spontaneous abortions and infertility. The pathogen "may explain the escalating frequency of infertility and spontaneous abortions over the past few years in US cattle, dairy, swine, and horse operations,” Huber added. "These include recent reports of infertility rates in dairy heifers of over 20%, and spontaneous abortions in cattle as high as 45%.” "It is well documented that glyphosate promotes soil pathogens and is already implicated with the increase of more than 40 plant diseases,” Huber continued. Furthermore, glyphosate "dismantles plant defenses” against disease by immobilizing vital nutrients, which means the growing crop is starved of the nutrients it must have to defend itself against disease and to be nutritious.
- Poison Spring The Secret History of Pollution and the EPA by E G Vallianatos and McKay Jenkins
Levels of glyphosate found in human urine are similar to levels found to stimulate human breast cancer cell growth in cell culture. Safety tests of pesticides conducted for regulatory approvals are based on the old notion that toxicity always increases with dose and the low levels we are exposed to are safe. This is out of step with research that shows that pesticides can cause endocrine (hormone) disruption and harm to health at low doses that regulators classify as safe. In addition to the primary active ingredient (glyphosate in the case of Roundup), pesticides contain additives or "adjuvants”, which are not well tested for safety. Also, the complete pesticide formulations as sold and used are not tested for long-term safety for regulatory approvals. Only the stated "active ingredient” is tested and these limited tests are used to set regulatory safety limits. Yet formulations have generally been found to be more toxic than isolated active ingredients, due to the adjuvants.
- GMO Myths and Truths A Citizens Guide to the Evidence on Genetically Modified Crops by Claire Robinson Mphil and Michael Antoniou
For example, while Roundup is toxic to human placental cells at levels 10 times lower than those found in agricultural use, the toxicity of glyphosate alone was measured at half or less. In an animal cell study, Roundup - but not glyphosate alone - disrupted the cell cycle, "the universal process by which cells reproduce.” This may be linked to human diseases, including cancer and Roundup caused significant changes in rat liver activity, while glyphosate alone had no effect. Roundup's higher toxicity is often attributed to the inert ingredient POEA (polyethoxylated tallowamine), which helps the herbicide penetrate into leaves. It appears to help the toxin penetrate into human cells as well. In spite of conclusive evidence that inert ingredients increase toxicity, many of the safety assessments on herbicides conducted by manufacturers for the EPA test only the active ingredient.
- Genetic Roulette The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods by Jeffrey M Smith
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