Article published yesterday on Mercola.com, thought some might be interested in taking a look at perhaps discussing it a bit. Mercola.com articles go behind a paywall after 48 hours, so you may want to click on it before then (sometime tomorrow). There's a link to download it as a PDF near the top left.
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STORY AT-A-GLANCE
•Glyphosate — the active ingredient in the broad-spectrum herbicide RoundUp — is commonly used off-label as a desiccant and/or preharvest treatment to speed ripening. This is why even non-GMO foods often contain glyphosate
•Paraquat and diquat are registered desiccants that have been used in U.S. agriculture since 1962, and as bad as glyphosate is, these “quats” may be even worse
•More than 3,000 farmers with Parkinson’s disease are suing Syngenta, the lead manufacturer of paraquat, and Chevron, a key distributor, arguing the chemical caused their disease. The first federal trial is set for October 2023. More than 100 lawsuits have also been filed in California state courts, where trials are set to begin in June 2023
•In 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reapproved paraquat for another 15 years. Earth Justice sued the EPA claiming the agency has “understated the extent of paraquat’s adverse effects.” The EPA is now re-reviewing its paraquat data and has until December 2023 to draft its reanalysis
•Research suggests plant lectins are the key link between paraquat and the damage resulting in Parkinson's disease. Lectins are proteins found in many grains, legumes, and beans — the very crops most-often treated with paraquat. Paraquat can trigger Parkinson’s disease when combined with plant lectins as the lectins transport the toxin straight into the brain
As previously reported in "Preharvest Use of Glyphosate Poisons Kids' Food," testing has revealed alarmingly high levels of glyphosate in the vast majority (43 out of 45) breakfast products and snacks made with oats.
Glyphosate — the active ingredient in the broad-spectrum herbicide RoundUp — is commonly used on genetically engineered (GE) crops to kill weeds, but high levels of the chemical is also found in non-GE foods. The reason for this is because it's also used as an off-label desiccant and/or preharvest treatment to speed ripening.1
The Monsanto pamphlet "Preharvest Staging Guide"2 clearly states that Roundup formulation "should not be used as a desiccant," but many farmers use it that way anyway,3 despite the known risks.
That said, other registered desiccants certainly aren't any safer, and food is not tested for them either. This raises questions about whether desiccants ought to be allowed at all. It's a sticky problem though, for a number of reasons. For example, many farmers today do not own their own harvesting equipment. They hire companies that come in and do it.
It's costly, so to make sure the grain is ready for harvesting on a specific date, they pretreat it with a desiccant to ensure it's sufficiently dry in time for harvesting.
Desiccating also eliminates excess green plant material, which reduces wear and tear on machinery, and improves profits, as farmers are penalized when the grain contains too much moisture. The greater the moisture content of the grain at sale, the lower the price they get.
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Full article:
The Deadliest Chemical in US Agriculture Goes on Trial | Mercola.com
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STORY AT-A-GLANCE
•Glyphosate — the active ingredient in the broad-spectrum herbicide RoundUp — is commonly used off-label as a desiccant and/or preharvest treatment to speed ripening. This is why even non-GMO foods often contain glyphosate
•Paraquat and diquat are registered desiccants that have been used in U.S. agriculture since 1962, and as bad as glyphosate is, these “quats” may be even worse
•More than 3,000 farmers with Parkinson’s disease are suing Syngenta, the lead manufacturer of paraquat, and Chevron, a key distributor, arguing the chemical caused their disease. The first federal trial is set for October 2023. More than 100 lawsuits have also been filed in California state courts, where trials are set to begin in June 2023
•In 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reapproved paraquat for another 15 years. Earth Justice sued the EPA claiming the agency has “understated the extent of paraquat’s adverse effects.” The EPA is now re-reviewing its paraquat data and has until December 2023 to draft its reanalysis
•Research suggests plant lectins are the key link between paraquat and the damage resulting in Parkinson's disease. Lectins are proteins found in many grains, legumes, and beans — the very crops most-often treated with paraquat. Paraquat can trigger Parkinson’s disease when combined with plant lectins as the lectins transport the toxin straight into the brain
As previously reported in "Preharvest Use of Glyphosate Poisons Kids' Food," testing has revealed alarmingly high levels of glyphosate in the vast majority (43 out of 45) breakfast products and snacks made with oats.
Glyphosate — the active ingredient in the broad-spectrum herbicide RoundUp — is commonly used on genetically engineered (GE) crops to kill weeds, but high levels of the chemical is also found in non-GE foods. The reason for this is because it's also used as an off-label desiccant and/or preharvest treatment to speed ripening.1
The Monsanto pamphlet "Preharvest Staging Guide"2 clearly states that Roundup formulation "should not be used as a desiccant," but many farmers use it that way anyway,3 despite the known risks.
That said, other registered desiccants certainly aren't any safer, and food is not tested for them either. This raises questions about whether desiccants ought to be allowed at all. It's a sticky problem though, for a number of reasons. For example, many farmers today do not own their own harvesting equipment. They hire companies that come in and do it.
It's costly, so to make sure the grain is ready for harvesting on a specific date, they pretreat it with a desiccant to ensure it's sufficiently dry in time for harvesting.
Desiccating also eliminates excess green plant material, which reduces wear and tear on machinery, and improves profits, as farmers are penalized when the grain contains too much moisture. The greater the moisture content of the grain at sale, the lower the price they get.
**
Full article:
The Deadliest Chemical in US Agriculture Goes on Trial | Mercola.com