[Ngo-sanrm] Monsanto's GMO Food and its Dark Connections to the "Military Industrial Complex"

Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources Management Working Group ngo-sanrm at ngocentre.org.vn
Fri Jul 4 10:07:29 BST 2014


Federal Support For Potent New Weedkiller Raises Fears About Children's
Health
Posted: 07/03/2014 8:23 pm EDT Updated: 07/03/2014 9:59 pm EDT
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<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/03/enlist-duo-children-health_n_5554828.html?page_version=legacy&view=print&comm_ref=false>
[image: CORN FIELD SCHOOL]

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In his public plea
<http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0195-0832> for
the Environmental Protection Agency to reject registration of a potent new
weedkiller, Christopher Lish of Olema, California, revisited a decades-old
warning from environmental prophet Rachel Carson: "As crude a weapon as the
cave man's club, the chemical barrage has been hurled against the fabric of
life."

Lois Rose, a registered nurse in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, posted her
own, less ornate caution
<http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0195-0354> to
the EPA website: "Stop listening to the chemical lobby and start listening
to the humans affected by these poisons."

*As a federal decision looms over whether to approve Dow AgroSciences'
proposed Enlist Duo herbicide -- a mix of 2,4-D and glyphosate, the main
ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup weedkiller* -- challenges from critics
across the country have poured in. And children's health advocates are
among the most vocal.

*More than half a million people shared their thoughts before the EPA
closed its public comment period on Monday. Among the submissions was
a letter
<http://cdn.ewg.org/sites/default/files/testimony/LetterToEPA_Enlist_MedSci_FINAL_06_30_14_0.pdf>signed
by 35 doctors, scientists and researchers, which highlighted human health
risks they suggested had been overlooked by the agency -- especially for
"young children in residential communities, schools, and daycare centers
near the 2,4-D-sprayed fields."*

On Wednesday, an environmental nonprofit released a report
<http://www.ewg.org/agmag/2014/06/thousands-schools-would-be-close-toxic-spray-zones>,
including aninteractive map
<https://api.tiles.mapbox.com/v3/ewg.iign8e8o/page.html#5/40.731/-93.889>,
that warns the new weed-killing recipe may soon be sprayed on corn and soy
fields within a thousand feet of more than 18,000 U.S. schools. Around
5,600 schools are within 200 feet of fields that could potentially be
sprayed, according to the Environmental Working Group's new analysis. The
EPA's proposed approval of the double herbicide calls for a 200-foot buffer
zone around locations where it is sprayed.

"The analysis is pretty scary," said Mary Ellen Kustin, senior policy
analyst with the Environmental Working Group. "To think that there are this
many schools so close to fields that may be turned over to this new
cropping system."

Inhalation of drifting herbicide is the key concern, Kustin noted, although
children may be exposed via other routes such as dust tracked around on
shoes, clothes and the like.

*Industry representatives, meanwhile, call the group's claims
"inflammatory," "specious" and "irresponsible." They suggest the federal
government is poised to approve the chemical spray with good reason: The
herbicide is safe and a necessary solution for struggling American farmers.*

"*Regulatory and health and safety organizations worldwide have reviewed
the database on 2,4-D and found little concern for adverse effects when the
product is used as directed," Garry Hamlin, a spokesman with Dow
AgroSciences, told The Huffington Post in an email. He added that the 2,4-D
in the company's product has been formulated to reduce volatilization and
drift: "This is not your granddad's 2,4-D*."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that if Enlist Duo is
green-lighted, agricultural use of 2,4-D would at least triple by 2020 to
between 77.8 and 176.2 million pounds annually. The latter herbicide was
first introduced on the market in 1946 and is also commonly used by
homeowners to kill weeds in their lawn -- much to the chagrin of
environmental health advocates.

Chensheng Lu, an environmental health expert at the Harvard School of
Public Health, is among those not comforted by industry's claims. "The
reproductive hazards [of 2,4-D], as well as the concern of cancers, have
been well documented," said Lu, one of the signatories on the EPA letter.
"The EPA should at least host a scientific advisory panel meeting to gather
independent review of Enlist Duo."

To the list of potential health risks for children exposed to even tiny
amounts of the double herbicide, Warren Porter, a toxicologist at the
University of Wisconsin, Madison, and another signatory, added attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder, asthma and immune disorders.

The EPA's assessment, he said, misses emerging evidence that certain
chemicals in minute amounts can disrupt human hormones
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/28/hormone-disruptors-bpa-chemicals-dirty-dozen_n_4169806.html>
and
therefore mess with multiple systems in the body. Research suggests both
2,4-D and glyphosate carry that capacity.

"Why should we be supporting some kind of a policy that is going to
directly impact the health of our children?" said Porter. "The EPA seems
totally in the pocket of Dow right now."

The EPA stated that it will review all comments before its final decision,
which is expected sometime late summer or early fall. "Our proposal was
based on an extensive assessment," the agency told HuffPost in an email,
adding that it had looked at herbicide drift and risks to kids, among
critics' concerns.

Another worry is potential interactions between glyphosate and 2,4-D, as
well as with other ingredients in Enlist Duo. In its environmental risk
assessment
<http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0195-0002>,
the EPA acknowledges that "there could be additive, synergistic, or
interference between the two herbicides," potentially increasing or
decreasing the overall toxicity of the product.

Fifty years ago, Rachel Carson wrote in *Silent Spring* of a pesticide
combination
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/23/chemistry-lessons-living-_n_1677912.html>
that
resulted in health risks "up to 50 times as severe as would be predicted on
the basis of adding together the toxicities of the two."

The EPA did not include any such potential synergisms in its human health
risk assessment. While the potential for drift is discussed, the agency
also dismissed it from aggregate exposure calculations, determining it
didn't pose a sufficient risk.

In addition to the EPA's verdict on the dual herbicide, Dow AgroSciences
also awaits final word from the USDA regarding its herbicide-resistant
seeds, the other component of its Enlist system. Corn and soy crops would
be genetically modified to withstand exposure to 2,4-D and glyphosate,
theoretically leaving only the weeds vulnerable to the chemicals.

Weeds, however, may evolve to withstand exposure, as farmers learned after
years of employing Monsanto's genetically engineered Roundup Ready seeds
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/04/pesticides-gmo-monsanto-roundup-resistance_n_1936598.html>.
Repeated application of a herbicide can literally weed out the weak weeds,
giving the rare resistant ones the opportunity to reproduce and eventually
dominate.

More than 70 million acres of farmland in the U.S. are now infested with
glyphosate-resistant "superweeds." And that number is rising.

"As a farmer located in Iowa, I look forward to approval of this herbicide
option," wrote Fred Wirtz of West Bend, Iowa, in a comment posted on the
EPA's website. "Weed resistance to gly[ph]osate and other herbicides is
becoming an increasing concern, and this will provide a valuable additional
option to protect the crop."

Approval of Enlist Duo should keep farmers from unleashing other --
potentially more toxic -- herbicides, as well as larger quantities of
Roundup, said Dow's Hamlin.

Mike Owen, a weed expert at Iowa State University, agreed that the product
would be a useful tool for farmers.

While he was among those who first warned of the likelihood of Roundup
resistance in the early 1990s, Owen is hopeful that more stringent
restrictions included on the Enlist Duo product label
<http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0195-0008> will
result in more sustainable use. Dow AgroSciences provides specifics on
application rates and advises rotating use of Enlist Duo with other
herbicides and non-chemical practices such as mechanical cultivation.

Diversifying crops and methods to manage weeds, Owen emphasized, is the
real key to getting off what many now call the "pesticide treadmill." He
pointed to one factor thwarting that effort: the growing size of the
average American farm. "There are fewer farmers farming larger areas over
greater distances," Owen said. "And many want to spray one herbicide over
all their acres."

Dow AgroSciences also advises on appropriate spray nozzles and weather
conditions, among other factors that affect drift. The label, for example,
warns applicators not to spray "at wind speeds greater than 15 mph" or in
"areas of temperature inversions."

But even if a farmer perfectly adheres to all the label's directions, there
is still the chance of dangerous drift, said Porter of the University of
Wisconsin. And again, young children may be particularly vulnerable to any
toxic effects.

"If the wind is blowing, or even if not, stuff is going to move in all
dimensions," said Porter. "They could be well outside the buffer zone, but
still get a dose that could affect their immune system, their endocrine
system, their nervous system."

*"We may be loading ourselves up for some very long-term consequences," he
added, noting other new research that hints at the potential for a
chemical's harm to be passed down through the generations
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/03/toxic-environmental-exposures-epigenetics-pcos-reproduction_n_1475232.html>.
"I think we have to be really careful."*
MORE:Epa Herbicides <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/epa-herbicides/>Toxic
Chemicals Children
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/toxic-chemicals-children/>Enlist Duo
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/enlist-duo/>Roundup
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/roundup/>2
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/2/>EPA
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/epa/>Herbicides
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/herbicides/>Epa Enlist Duo
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/epa-enlist-duo/>Monsanto
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/monsanto/>Herbicide Drift
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/herbicide-drift/>Toxic Chemicals
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/toxic-chemicals/>Environmental
Protection Agency
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/environmental-protection-agency/>Pesticide
Drift <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/pesticide-drift/>Dow AgroSciences
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/dow-agrosciences/>Weedkiller
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/weedkiller/>Health
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/childrens-health/>4 D
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/4-d/>
Suggest a correction
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/03/enlist-duo-children-health_n_5554828.html#>
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Around the Web

<http://ecowatch.com/2014/07/03/schools-at-risk-toxic-pesticide-exposure/>
5,000+
Schools at Risk of Toxic Pesticide Exposure if EPA Approves ...
<http://ecowatch.com/2014/07/03/schools-at-risk-toxic-pesticide-exposure/>

<http://www.ewg.org/agmag/2014/06/epa-disregards-toxic-weed-killer-s-risks-children>
 Blog Post: EPA Disregards Toxic Weed Killer's Risks to Children
<http://www.ewg.org/agmag/2014/06/epa-disregards-toxic-weed-killer-s-risks-children>

<http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/agriculture/green-fields/2014/07/02/report-raises-concerns-about-herbicide-use-near-schools-company-says-unfounded/12060015/>
 Would new herbicide threaten school children?
<http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/agriculture/green-fields/2014/07/02/report-raises-concerns-about-herbicide-use-near-schools-company-says-unfounded/12060015/>

<http://www.rodalenews.com/enlist-herbicide> Enlist Herbicide: The New GMO
Threat We Need to Stop | Rodale ...
<http://www.rodalenews.com/enlist-herbicide>

<http://www.globalresearch.ca/5000-schools-at-risk-of-toxic-pesticide-exposure-if-epa-approves-new-gmo-pesticide-24-d/5389715?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=5000-schools-at-risk-of-toxic-pesticide-exposure-if-epa-approves-new-gmo-pesticide-24-d>
 5000+ Schools at Risk of Toxic Pesticide Exposure if EPA Approves New GMO
...
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/5000-schools-at-risk-of-toxic-pesticide-exposure-if-epa-approves-new-gmo-pesticide-24-d/5389715?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=5000-schools-at-risk-of-toxic-pesticide-exposure-if-epa-approves-new-gmo-pesticide-24-d>




On Fri, Jul 4, 2014 at 12:50 AM, Chuck Searcy <chuckusvn at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> Global Research, July 03, 2014
>
>
> The Analyst Report
> <http://www.theanalystreport.net/2014/07/03/monsantos-insidious-gm0-food-and-its-dark-connections-to-the-military-industrial-complex/>
>
>
> http://www.globalresearch.ca/monsantos-gmo-food-and-its-dark-connections-to-the-military-industrial-complex/5389708
>
>
>
> <http://www.globalresearch.ca/monsantos-gmo-food-and-its-dark-connections-to-the-military-industrial-complex/5389708>
>
> *Monsanto’s GMO Food and its Dark Connections to the “Military Industrial
> Complex”*
>
>
>  By Steven MacMillan
> <http://www.globalresearch.ca/author/steven-macmillan>
>
> *Monsanto, the world’s largest genetically modified (GM/GMO) seed
> producer, has been at the centre of controversy for decades as evidence of
> the harmful effects on humans of GM foods continues to mount.  Joined with
> the likes of DuPont’s Pioneer Hi-Bred International and Syngenta, Monsanto
> and partners comprise the corporate nexus of Big-Agri, where the control
> over our food supply is increasingly transferred into the hands of private
> trans-national corporations as opposed to local farmers and governments.*
>
> [Read more]
> <http://www.globalresearch.ca/monsantos-gmo-food-and-its-dark-connections-to-the-military-industrial-complex/5389708>
>
>
>
>
> *CHUCK SEARCY Co-Chair, AOWG*
>
> *71 Tran Quoc Toan, Hanoi *
>
> *M    +8 490 342 0769*
>
> *E     chuckusvn at gmail.com <chuckusvn at gmail.com> *
>
> *Sk   chucksearcy*
>
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