That’s the name of the latest report raising concerns about the world’s most widely used herbicide. The report, by a group of internationally acclaimed independent scientists, is available here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/57277946/RoundupandBirthDefectsv5
The report supports the findings of the independent Argentinean researchers whose study published last year found that Roundup and glyphosate cause birth defects in frogs and chickens at concentrations much lower than those used in agricultural spraying (see item in Roundup Files “Roundup linked to birth defects”).
But its main focus is Monsanto and the pesticide regulators in Europe who, it is claimed, have known for decades that Roundup and glyphosate cause birth defects, have failed to tell the public, and have repeatedly misled the public into believing that the herbicide is safe, so safe that it is ok to use on school grounds, home gardens, roadsides etc. Sound familiar? Read New Zealand regulators and local authorities!
The report finds that “the work of independent scientists who have drawn attention to the herbicide’s teratogenic effects has been ignored, denigrated, or dismissed. These actions on the part of industry and regulators have endangered public health. They have also contributed to the growing division between independent and industry science, which in turn erodes public trust in the regulatory process.”
These are the facts:
Industry (including Monsanto) has known from its own studies since the 1980s that glyphosate causes malformations in experimental animals at high doses.
Industry has known since 1993 that these effects also occur at lower and mid doses.
The German government has known since at least 1998 that glyphosate causes malformations.
The EU Commission's expert scientific review panel knew in 1999 that glyphosate causes malformations.
The EU Commission has known since 2002 that glyphosate causes malformations, yet approved it anyway.
For more read Claire Robinson in The Ecologist http://bit.ly/k6om2P and Lucy graves in The Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/07/roundup-birth-defects-herbicide-regulators_n_872862.html?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=060811&utm_medium=email&utm_content=NewsEntry&utm_term=Daily%20Brief
