Monsanto Herbicide, Roundup, Scientifically Proven to Cause Changes in Animal Morphology

First study to show that pesticides can induce morphological changes in vertebrate animals

Rick Relyea, University of Pittsburgh professor of biological sciences in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and director of Pitt's Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology, demonstrated that sublethal and environmentally relevant concentrations of Roundup caused two species of amphibians to alter their morphology. According to Relyea, this is the first study to show that a pesticide can induce morphological changes in a vertebrate animal.

“This discovery highlights the fact that pesticides, which are important for crop production and human health, can have unintended consequences for species that are not the pesticide’s target,” says Relyea. “Herbicides are not designed to affect animals, but we are learning that they can have a wide range of surprising effects by altering how hormones work in the bodies of animals. This is important because amphibians not only serve as a barometer of the ecosystem’s health, but also as an indicator of potential dangers to other species in the food chain, including humans.”

Source

Roundup contains glyphosate, which is the most widely used herbicide in the US, and Roundup has been the number one selling herbicide worldwide since at least 1980. (Wikipedia, 2012). The general impact on the environment isn't known, but since it has been used worldwide for over 30 years, we should be seriously concerned.

The history of Roundup, mainly glyphosate, is not without controversy. A simple search on wikipedia reveals a hypocritical past where the EPA considers the herbicide to cause no adverse effects to humans, and two occasions where the EPA has caught scientists deliberately falsifying test results at research laboratories hired by Monsanto to study glyphosate. One could almost think Monsanto was trying to hide something?

In light of the recent findings, is it possible to argue the continued use of this herbicide? Is it prudent to apply, but also expand, the same method in this study to other herbicides commonly used? Is it possible to try and identify the potentially vast detrimental effects of roundup and glyphosate after 30 years use worldwide?

This is just one single herbicide among thousands, and equally it seems we've screwed ourselves a thousand times over.

reply to post by Droogie


Round up is among the most dangerous and hazardous substances on the planet right now. It is dangerous because people think it is safe and not only does it kill bees and deform nature it gets into the ground water. This is a little like having the nuclear rods as a disposal problem. We are keeping an eye on Iran and what they are doing with Nuclear in case it turns into a harmful situation when we should have our eye on Monsanto where it already is.

reply to post by Droogie


If Monsanto were a person, s/he would've been sitting on death row by now. I feel as though Monsanto is the equivalent of Jack the Ripper. Methodically stalking, dismembering, and running off gleefully aware that he was going to get away with it.

How much more evidence is needed before our government acts against this beast?
I remember hearing about the farmers who filed a class action suit, but I haven't heard about any updates. Is anyone aware of how it's progressing?
I think America needs to band together and hire a team of environmental attorneys to fight them.
It's time we stopped reporting on their crimes and started charging them with high crimes against nature and humanity.

Roundup is probably the most widely used weedkiller here in Australia too.

It is the DDT of the future.

There's a host of other hazards connected with glyphosate as well. Here's a small summary, but also a link to a more elaborate fact sheet with over fifty references.

1. Symptoms of exposure to glyphosate include eye irritation, blurred vision, skin rashes, burning or itchy skin, nausea, sore throat and difficulty breathing, headache, lethargy, nose bleeds and dizziness.
   
2. In lab tests, glyphosate and herbicides containing glyphosate caused genetic damage to human and animal cells.
   
3. Studies of farmers and other people exposed to glyphosate herbicides link this exposure to increased risks of cancer, miscarriages and attention deficit disorder. Additional laboratory tests have confirmed the results of these studies.
   
4. Laboratory evidence indicates that glyphosate herbicides can reduce production of sex hormones.
   
5. Application of glyphosate herbicides increases the severity of a variety of plant diseases.
   
6. Studies of glyphosate contamination of water are limited, but new results indicate that it can easily contaminate streams in both agricultural and urban areas.
   
7. Glyphosate herbicides cause more off-target damage incidents than all but one other herbicide — 2, 4-D.
   
8. Glyphosate herbicides cause genetic damage and harm to the immune system in fish. In frogs, glyphosate herbicides cause genetic damage and abnormal development.
   

Source

Link to glyphosate fact sheet, dated 2004. Many are also listed on the wikipedia article.

Here's some information about the scientific fraud regarding glyphosate:

On two occasions, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has caught scientists deliberately falsifying test results at research laboratories hired by Monsanto to study glyphosate.[57][58][59] In the first incident involving Industrial Biotest Laboratories, an EPA reviewer stated after finding "routine falsification of data" that it was "hard to believe the scientific integrity of the studies when they said they took specimens of the uterus from male rabbits".[60][61][62] In the second incident of falsifying test results in 1991, the owner of the lab (Craven Labs), and three employees were indicted on 20 felony counts, the owner was sentenced to 5 years in prison and fined $50,000, the lab was fined 15.5 million dollars and ordered to pay 3.7 million dollars in restitution.[43][63][64] Craven laboratories performed studies for 262 pesticide companies including Monsanto.

source

One may wonder why the research laboratories falsified the studies, and at who's behest? Monsanto wasn't charged with anything it seems, and went unscathed from the whole thing.

But dandelions are unsightly.

I know. How stupid was that? I personally love dandelions and find them to be one of the finest plants we have out there. From first spring thaw, I'm out there foraging dandelions, wood sorrel, plantago, lady's mantle, and nettles (to name a few). They make wonderful salads, herbal infusions, side dishes, etc. It really is a shame to see how misunderstood our beautiful Nature is.

Monsanto must die a death more horrible that it has inflicted on our beloved Earth. Time for the take-down.

Roundup is designed to fall apart in the soils after a little while if conditions are right. It could last there for a month or more if conditions are right also. I studied this so long ago and decided it was bad for nature and not for me. If it is sprayed while the GM products are growing it could possibly cause changes in the uptakes of nutrients which could cause mutations in future offspring of the products, that worries me a little. Soil conditions aren't always the same everywhere and constant modification of the soils can add to depletion of them. I'll just avoid consuming as much as possible of them and hope others decide to do the same. Giving an entity control over our foods and water is stupid. These corporations are trying to make us dependent on them and are succeeding. I don't know if they are going to be good rulers or bad rulers myself.

reply to post by CosmicEgg

Those evil weeds sure taste good don't they.

reply to post by rickymouse


They do! And they clean out all the muck that accumulates in the body from those Monsanto crops too. Bad weeds. Bad!!!

Awaiting Infiniteloop coming in to tell us the article is incorrect and GM food is a gift from god.

reply to post by bl4ke360


He probably works for Monsanto or a similar company