On Tue, Jul 19, 2011 at 9:51 PM, Thomas Mathews <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > ** > Iowa is very likely the most Roundup/glyphosate drenched place on > earth.--Tom > So why don't we find more 2-headed, 5-legged frogs? Oh, yeah, we drained all the wetlands. > > In a message dated 7/19/2011 6:30:08 P.M. Central Daylight Time, > [log in to unmask] writes: > > > NOTE: The following is a merger of two almost identical articles that > appeared in the German press, and which have been translated into English. > > The Earth Open Source report mentioned in the articles is "Roundup and > birth defects – is the public being kept in the dark?" > http://scr.bi/RRbirthdef > > This report showed that industry (including Monsanto) knew from its own > studies conducted in the 1980s that glyphosate caused birth defects in lab > animals at high doses; from the 1990s, industry knew that these effects also > occurred at lower and mid doses. > > The German government, the "rapporteur" member state for glyphosate, knew > from 1998 from its own reading of these same industry studies. Germany > explained away the birth defects by redefining them as a "developmental > variation[s]" - along with other 'creative' reasoning. > > The EU Commission knew from 2002, when it approved glyphosate, incorrectly > claiming that the birth defects only occurred at high doses that poisoned > the mothers. This is the 9-year-old document referred to so blithely by the > German government official in the article below--who suggests that it fully > informs the public of the risks of glyphosate! > > Only last year, the German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food > Safety (BVL) told the Commission that there was "no evidence of > teratogenicity" (ability to cause birth defects) for glyphosate. In making > this claim, BVL was ignoring not only independent studies showing that > glyphosate and Roundup cause birth defects, including at low realistic > levels, but industry's own studies from as long ago as the 1980s. > > In the light of all this, it's interesting to read BVL's defence, below. > --- > --- > Glyphosate: The Problematic Victory > By Stephan Bornecke > Frankfurter Rundschau > 11 July 2011 > > The All-Round Killer > Berliner Zeitung > 11 July 2011 > For urls see footnotes below > > BIOTECHNOLOGY – THE CULTIVATION OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED SOY POSES ALSO A > THREAT TO HUMAN HEALTH, SAY SCIENTISTS. BY LICENSING ALLEGEDLY NON‐HAZARDOUS > GRAINS FROM SOUTH AMERICA THE ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP WWF HAS COME UNDER > CRITICISM. > > Frankfurt a. M. – It is the most widely applied herbicide in the world and > closely linked with genetic engineering in agriculture. But now glyphosate > is suspected of posing a health risk to humans. > > Known by the brand name Roundup, glyphosate began its conquest of the > market back in 1974, when the US agribusiness giant first promoted it as a > complete herbicide. > > But it was the development of genetically engineered soybeans in 1996 that > really ensured its victory. Since then, corn, canola, cotton, and sugar > beets have been developed that are Roundup resistant. At this point, fully > 83 per cent of genetically modified plants are resistant to this herbicide. > > However, it seems that the product does not live up to its initial promise > – that glyphosate would simplify farming, and even enhance environmental > protection. More and more studies have shown that the herbicide, which will > be up for re‐evaluation by the EU, negatively impacts wild plants, soil > biota, aquatic life forms, and even the plants it is designed to protect, > for instance, by increasing the incidence of fungal attacks. And that’s not > all. Other plants have also developed resistance to it, which means more > spraying, not less. > > Now new investigations have revealed another dimension to the problem. > Apparently, glyphosate is more damaging to mammals and other vertebrates, > including perhaps humans, than was previously assumed. And there’s more: > such undesirable side effects have apparently been known to EU authorities > and German regulatory authorities with EU responsibility since the end of > the 1990s. > > To cite one example, Argentine Professor Andrés Carrasco published a study > in 2009 that substantiated the dangers of Roundup spray. He concluded that > the herbicide caused dysplasia in frog and chicken embryos even at doses > lower than levels commonly used in agriculture The consequences observed in > animals are comparable to those found "in humans exposed to glyphosate > during pregnancy." > > There must have been serious findings pointing in this direction early on, > and they must have been known not only to the industry but to regulatory > authorities as well. At least that is the claim of an international group of > Earth Open Source researchers led by Michael Antoniou, a molecular > geneticist teaching in London. The study, Roundup and birth defects – is the > public being kept in the dark?[3], points to miscarriages and birth defects > in new‐borns in Argentina and Paraguay whose parents live near fields of > genetically modified soybeans. A study of regulatory approval documents also > shows that German authorities knew about foot deformities in rats and > rabbits. These consequences were also observed in some cases at dosage > levels in soybeans that are approved for humans. > > The report by the EU health commissioner in charge at the time downplayed > possible embryo abnormalities, opining that such deformities would only > ensue if the mothers had ingested a deadly dose of the herbicide. > > In response to a question from the German daily Frankfurter Rundschau, the > German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL), which is > also the EU rapporteur, called the criticism "baseless", stating that no > important information was withheld from the public. Andreas Tief, > spokesperson for the BVL, added that Antoniou had relied on "a document that > is available to the public, and has been for nine years now". > > In light of the emerging awareness of the risk to the human reproductive > system, Christoph Then, a Munich‐based scientist, is demanding completely > new standards at the upcoming EU re‐approval proceedings for glyphosate that > have been postponed for three years, to 2015. Many consumers are not aware > that they are in fact the end consumers of genetically modified soybeans > when they consume the meat of animals that have consumed them. > > Copyright © 2011 Frankfurter Rundschau > Copyright © 2011 Berliner zeitung > > 1. The German original of this article was published on 11 July 2011 in two > almost identical versions simultaneously in Frankfurter Rundschau (FR) and > Berliner Zeitung (BZ), two daily broadsheet newspapers that are well known > beyond the regional limits where they are published. The online source for > FR is > http://bit.ly/glyph_FR > for BZ it is > http://bit.ly/glyph_BZ > 2. Translation from the original article in German by Larass Translations, > Ottawa; the two versions have been integrated. > 3 Study downloadable from http://scr.bi/RRbirthdef > > ................................................................ > Website: http://www.gmwatch.org > Profiles: http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/GM_Watch:_Portal > Twitter: http://twitter.com/GMWatch > Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/GMWatch/276951472985?ref=nf > > This email should only be sent to those who have asked to receive it. > To unsubscribe, contact [log in to unmask], specifying which list you wish > to unsubscribe from. > > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To > unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: > [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv > Lists support site for more information: > http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club > Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the > Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at > http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/ > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: "GMWatch" <[log in to unmask]> > To: [log in to unmask] > Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:25:25 -0700 > Subject: GMW: Glyphosate: The all-round killer - German press articles > > > NOTE: The following is a merger of two almost identical articles that > appeared in the German press, and which have been translated into English. > > The Earth Open Source report mentioned in the articles is "Roundup and > birth defects – is the public being kept in the dark?" > http://scr.bi/RRbirthdef > > This report showed that industry (including Monsanto) knew from its own > studies conducted in the 1980s that glyphosate caused birth defects in lab > animals at high doses; from the 1990s, industry knew that these effects also > occurred at lower and mid doses. > > The German government, the "rapporteur" member state for glyphosate, knew > from 1998 from its own reading of these same industry studies. Germany > explained away the birth defects by redefining them as a "developmental > variation[s]" - along with other 'creative' reasoning. > > The EU Commission knew from 2002, when it approved glyphosate, incorrectly > claiming that the birth defects only occurred at high doses that poisoned > the mothers. This is the 9-year-old document referred to so blithely by the > German government official in the article below--who suggests that it fully > informs the public of the risks of glyphosate! > > Only last year, the German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food > Safety (BVL) told the Commission that there was "no evidence of > teratogenicity" (ability to cause birth defects) for glyphosate. In making > this claim, BVL was ignoring not only independent studies showing that > glyphosate and Roundup cause birth defects, including at low realistic > levels, but industry's own studies from as long ago as the 1980s. > > In the light of all this, it's interesting to read BVL's defence, below. > --- > --- > Glyphosate: The Problematic Victory > By Stephan Bornecke > Frankfurter Rundschau > 11 July 2011 > > The All-Round Killer > Berliner Zeitung > 11 July 2011 > For urls see footnotes below > > BIOTECHNOLOGY – THE CULTIVATION OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED SOY POSES ALSO A > THREAT TO HUMAN HEALTH, SAY SCIENTISTS. BY LICENSING ALLEGEDLY NON‐HAZARDOUS > GRAINS FROM SOUTH AMERICA THE ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP WWF HAS COME UNDER > CRITICISM. > > Frankfurt a. M. – It is the most widely applied herbicide in the world and > closely linked with genetic engineering in agriculture. But now glyphosate > is suspected of posing a health risk to humans. > > Known by the brand name Roundup, glyphosate began its conquest of the > market back in 1974, when the US agribusiness giant first promoted it as a > complete herbicide. > > But it was the development of genetically engineered soybeans in 1996 that > really ensured its victory. Since then, corn, canola, cotton, and sugar > beets have been developed that are Roundup resistant. At this point, fully > 83 per cent of genetically modified plants are resistant to this herbicide. > > However, it seems that the product does not live up to its initial promise > – that glyphosate would simplify farming, and even enhance environmental > protection. More and more studies have shown that the herbicide, which will > be up for re‐evaluation by the EU, negatively impacts wild plants, soil > biota, aquatic life forms, and even the plants it is designed to protect, > for instance, by increasing the incidence of fungal attacks. And that’s not > all. Other plants have also developed resistance to it, which means more > spraying, not less. > > Now new investigations have revealed another dimension to the problem. > Apparently, glyphosate is more damaging to mammals and other vertebrates, > including perhaps humans, than was previously assumed. And there’s more: > such undesirable side effects have apparently been known to EU authorities > and German regulatory authorities with EU responsibility since the end of > the 1990s. > > To cite one example, Argentine Professor Andrés Carrasco published a study > in 2009 that substantiated the dangers of Roundup spray. He concluded that > the herbicide caused dysplasia in frog and chicken embryos even at doses > lower than levels commonly used in agriculture The consequences observed in > animals are comparable to those found "in humans exposed to glyphosate > during pregnancy." > > There must have been serious findings pointing in this direction early on, > and they must have been known not only to the industry but to regulatory > authorities as well. At least that is the claim of an international group of > Earth Open Source researchers led by Michael Antoniou, a molecular > geneticist teaching in London. The study, Roundup and birth defects – is the > public being kept in the dark?[3], points to miscarriages and birth defects > in new‐borns in Argentina and Paraguay whose parents live near fields of > genetically modified soybeans. A study of regulatory approval documents also > shows that German authorities knew about foot deformities in rats and > rabbits. These consequences were also observed in some cases at dosage > levels in soybeans that are approved for humans. > > The report by the EU health commissioner in charge at the time downplayed > possible embryo abnormalities, opining that such deformities would only > ensue if the mothers had ingested a deadly dose of the herbicide. > > In response to a question from the German daily Frankfurter Rundschau, the > German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL), which is > also the EU rapporteur, called the criticism "baseless", stating that no > important information was withheld from the public. Andreas Tief, > spokesperson for the BVL, added that Antoniou had relied on "a document that > is available to the public, and has been for nine years now". > > In light of the emerging awareness of the risk to the human reproductive > system, Christoph Then, a Munich‐based scientist, is demanding completely > new standards at the upcoming EU re‐approval proceedings for glyphosate that > have been postponed for three years, to 2015. Many consumers are not aware > that they are in fact the end consumers of genetically modified soybeans > when they consume the meat of animals that have consumed them. > > Copyright © 2011 Frankfurter Rundschau > Copyright © 2011 Berliner zeitung > > 1. The German original of this article was published on 11 July 2011 in two > almost identical versions simultaneously in Frankfurter Rundschau (FR) and > Berliner Zeitung (BZ), two daily broadsheet newspapers that are well known > beyond the regional limits where they are published. The online source for > FR is > http://bit.ly/glyph_FR > for BZ it is > http://bit.ly/glyph_BZ > 2. Translation from the original article in German by Larass Translations, > Ottawa; the two versions have been integrated. > 3 Study downloadable from http://scr.bi/RRbirthdef > > ................................................................ > Website: http://www.gmwatch.org > Profiles: http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/GM_Watch:_Portal > Twitter: http://twitter.com/GMWatch > Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/GMWatch/276951472985?ref=nf > > This email should only be sent to those who have asked to receive it. > To unsubscribe, contact [log in to unmask], specifying which list you wish > to unsubscribe from. > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: > [log in to unmask] > > Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: > http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp > > Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship > e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's > latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent > editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/ > > > > > > > > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp