Bayer agrees to pay $10 Billion to settle claims of Cancer: Isn’t time yet to Ban Round Up all over the World?

Researchers who have conducted most of the scientific research on glyphosate brings out reports of dangers and they also seek a more unbiased and vigorous investigation of the molecule. There should always be precautionary approaches on the safety of any foreign molecules used in Agriculture and otherwise too.

It seems like Bayer when acquired Monsanto wasn’t sure of the repercussions and legal battles over the herbicide Round Up when it acquired Monsanto Reports from Bayer shows that they are now agreeing to pay more then $10 billion to settle tens of thousands of claims and yet continue to freely sell Round Up without warnings and signals. It seems some money has also been set aside for future cases too. As reported in NY Times, the settlement covers an estimated 95,000 cases and included $1.25 billion for potential future claims from Round up customers who may develop the form of cancer known as Hodgkins lymphoma.

The safety of molecules of Glyphosate and its effect on soil biology, ecology and health is what is needed in priority. As long as safety data based on which glyphosate was approved for use in agriculture is kept out of reach of the public, and as long as independent verification of the results is denied, there is no proof that glyphosate is safe at any level of Contamination writes the Independent Researcher and Author of the Book “Poison Foods Of America”.

In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer labelled glyphosate as “probable carcinogen. Nations such as Sri Lanka banned glyphosate because they have reason to suspect farm workers exposed to glyphosate were dying from kidney failure or throat cancer. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has awarded two researchers for uncovering the link between glyphosate and chronic kidney disease (CKD), which has killed at least 25,000 Sri Lankans and 20,000 Central Americans. Award recipients are Sarath Guanatilake, MD, and Channa Jayasumana, PhD

“There is a possibility that high levels of herbicide “glyphosate” in lentils imported from Canada and Australia, are impacting the health of the consumer says FSSAI and since India has not approved use of glyphosate in food, and consequently not set any MRL inpulses, FSSAI regulators has been coaxed to change its position of “no glyphosate allowed”, to the high glyphosate MRLs set by Codex Alimentarius. FSSAI reports that MRL (as specified in Codex) will also be taken into consideration for the purpose of import clearance. The FSSAI action came after it was warned by Mr. Tony Mitra that Australian Moong dal and Canadian Masoor dal contained high residues of Glyphosate.

Many countries around the world have taken the lead in banning or restricting the use of the world’s most used herbicide Glyphosate. Sustainable Pulse reports about 20 countries that has now banned or restricted the use of carcinogenic herbicide. Their reports reveals that Malawi in Africa announced the suspension of import permits for glyphosate in April 2019. Togo in Africa also prohibited to import, market or use glyphosate and any product containing it. In Asia,Thailand restricts use while Vietnam banned the import of glyphosate and Srilanka issued a full import ban from 2015 and in July 2018 they lifted to use it only for tea and rubber plantations. In India the recent ban being in the small state of Kerala, India. in a bold move to phase out highly hazardous chemicals. Kerala is the Fifth state to come up with stringent measures to ban Glypohosate following Punjab, Maharashtra, Telengana and Andra Pradesh. Six middle Eastern Countries namely Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar banned the import and use of glyphosate based herbicides in coordination with each other in 2015 and 2016. Bermuda, St Vincent and Grenadines, and Costa Rica banned the use of Glyphosate In Europe, Czech Republic, Denmark, France and Netherlands has promised to take all immediate measures to ban the product and the phasing out strategies have started.

Tony Mitra in an Interview to Agriculture World reported Glyphosate as a Chelator which means it has astrong attraction to metallic ions, what we oftencall minerals, or nutrients. Our food contains small quantities of such minerals such as iron manganese, etc. However, if glyphosate is present, it captures these minerals, and makes these nutrients unavailable to us. Thus, we starve of nutrition even if the food we eat are nutritious. Glyphosate is also known to disrupt the endocrine or hormone system. Glyphosate can kill off our microbiome faster than they can reproduce and make up. Glypohosates can also cause Protein malfunctions that can trigger many diseases.

Many States in India are realizing at this point that they need to ban the toxic overload they are having it on the soil, plants and the population and also the environment . The Sooner we realise it’s the better for the health and the future generations.