Roundup – Cancer – The Alternative
If you are a gardener or do landscaping work on your home often, chances are you have heard about the Roundup cancer lawsuit. During a recent ruling in San Francisco, Monsanto, the makers of Roundup, are under fire because of the harmful chemicals in the herbicide. Roundup is an herbicide used to kill weeds.
A former groundskeeper, DeWayne Johnson, is seeking a Roundup cancer settlement because he developed a fatal form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma from Roundup exposure. Johnson states that Monsanto acted with malice by not making enough effort to warn consumers of the possible dangers of repeated Roundup exposure.
The jury ruled in Johnson’s favor, and he received $289 million in damages. Monsanto’s future is uncertain since more than 4,000 cases like Johnson’s are waiting for a court hearing.
Monsanto will likely appeal the recent court decision. The company’s vice president Scott Partridge states that Monsanto will continue to “vigorously defend their product.”
More about Roundup
Roundup has long been an integral part of agricultural production. Farmers in various parts of the world depend on Roundup to kill weeds that can ruin their crops. However, it is not clear whether glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup is a cancer-causing agent. According to the EPA, glyphosate is safe, but cancer research institutes from various parts of the world say that the chemical could be harmful to humans.
Roundup Cancer Symptoms
Research indicates that Roundup could cause brain cancer. In a study of children with brain cancer compared to children without the disease, researchers discovered that if the mother or father had been exposed to Roundup up to two years before the birth of the child, the child was twice as likely to develop brain cancer.
Studies have also shown that glyphosate can encourage the growth of breast cancer cells through estrogen receptors. During a long-term investigation of glyphosate exposure in rats revealed that the rats developed mammary tumors and a shortened life expectancy.
Overall, it was discovered that cancer rates were two to four times higher in farming communities in Argentina where agriculturalists use Roundup. These areas, or fumigated towns, had citizens with a higher incidence of prostate, breast and lung cancers. A comparison of two villages, where one community used Roundup, it was revealed that 31 percent of the residents in the Roundup-contaminated town had a relative with cancer. Several lab tests have proven that the astounding cancer rate is likely because glyphosate can cause DNA damage.
Alternatives to Roundup
Several farmers are trying to find safe and natural alternatives to Roundup. One of the ingredients that can be used to kill weeds is vinegar. Vinegar is an acetic acid that can chemically burn the plan until its leaves are gone. Vinegar is diluted with water depending on its function. Some companies even sell vinegar as an herbicide in 10, 20 and 30 percent concentrations.
Another reason vinegar could be beneficial is that it does not have any harmful chemicals. Vinegar comes from corn in most cases but can also be made from apples. Vinegar is naturally acidic and does not contain synthetic dyes, solvents, sulfates, ethoxylates, fluorine, or chlorine. Vinegar also does not contain glyphosate, which is the main ingredient in Roundup that can lead to cancer.
While vinegar is a pesticide, it is environmentally safe and will not contaminate the lawn or other plants. Vinegar is absorbed in the soil so that it will not travel to waterways, creeks, and lakes. However, it is still powerful enough to destroy a plant in less than 24 hours.
The University of Maryland asserts that acetic acid or vinegar does have a few drawbacks, however. Vinegar is a non-selective herbicide, which means it will damage or kill any plant it touches. Vinegar also does not get to the root of the plant like glyphosate, so it may take large amounts of vinegar to kill weeds effectively.
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