Roundup - a harmless, top-class weed killer. At least that's how it's advertised. But is it really as good for the environment as its manufacturer claims?
The other day, when I took a look at my driveway, a slight shiver ran down my neck. Because again the weeds had pushed through the cobblestones. When I sighed loudly, my neighbor called out: "Well, you'll have to use the joint scraper again, huh?" I rolled my eyes and just waved my hand. So all of a sudden I was like, "Try Roundup." I became curious about this great remedy, which my neighbor warmly recommended, and researched the internet.
What I immediately realized: Roundup seems to be THE weed killer par excellence. At least as far as the effect is concerned. I came to this conclusion because I came across countless forum posts and testimonials from allotment gardeners who swear by Roundup. It should keep the beds and garden paths spotlessly clean and be easy to use. So Roundup seems to be a real hit. The good ratings and high sales ranks at well-known internet shops only confirm all of these statements.
But I just couldn't ignore some headlines that I stumbled across during my research. Words like “carcinogenic”, “toxic”, “malformations” and “contaminated food” were used in connection with Roundup and the active ingredient glyphosate it contains. This, of course, contradicted everything I had previously learned. It became clear to me that I should find out more about this before I really put the remedy in my shopping cart the next time I visit the garden center.
How Glyphosate Works
First of all, I asked myself what this glyphosate actually is. I then found out on the Internet that it is the herbicide most widely used by industrial agriculture in the world. Although agriculture is the main area of application for pesticides, home and allotment gardeners also like to use the miracle product Roundup. But why is it a "miracle cure" at all?and why do so many swear by it? It's simple: the glyphosate in Roundup acts through the leaves and inhibits a specific enzyme (EPSP synthase) that is required for the metabolism of most plants. This enzyme, in turn, is needed to produce essential amino acids. So if it is killed, the plant will also die within a few days. [5]
But how can it be that soya, sugar beet and co. survive on the field even though Roundup is sprayed? That, too, was explained to me fairly quickly. In the past, glyphosate could only be used on fields if crops were not growing on it at the same time. But that was a thorn in the side of many. Roundup's maker, Monsanto, then got to work and started manipulating genes. In 1996, the agricultural company finally succeeded in inserting a gene into soybeans, with the help of which the enzyme EPSP synthetase is formed. Thanks to this enzyme, the soybean plants finally survived the poison rain. But it shouldn't just be soy. There are now also so-called Roundup Ready (RR) corn, canola, sugar beet, cotton and alfalfa. [5]
Who is Roundup?
The seed and genetic engineering company Monsanto, based in St. Louis in the US state of Missouri, is behind the Roundup weed killer product and is currently merging with the German chemical company Bayer [10]. The agricultural conglomerate was the first to launch Roundup in 1974. Today, Monsanto is a leading manufacturer of glyphosate-based herbicides and glyphosate-resistant genetically modified crops. Over time, of course, many followed suit, so that herbicides containing glyphosate are also manufactured by other companies.
Today, glyphosate is the main ingredient in many herbicides used around the world. Especially in agriculture. Here it was initially only applied before sowing. However, thanks to the genetically modified Roundup Ready plants, Roundup can now also be used during cultivation. And some farmers also use it shortly before the harvest, because the glyphosate-containing agent dries out the plants, so that grain, for example, can be harvested even in bad weather. [6]
So from the looks of it, Roundup seems like a really good middle ground. And not just for agriculture. Finally, it is also sprayed in private gardens, on public areas, on railway embankments and on motorway shoulders. So why has the use of glyphosate been regulated in Austria since 2013 [9]? Why does France even want to ban the sale of Roundup in garden centers altogether?And why is Roundup always in the headlines?
Roundup - the silent poison
According to estimates, 2.5 million tons of plant toxins are sprayed worldwide every year. 99.7 percent of them end up unfiltered in the environment, the soil and water. In the case of sprays containing glyphosate, this can in turn have devastating effects. The agent is said to not only damage soil life, it is also said to promote pathogenic fungi and impair the absorption of microorganisms. But not only nature suffers from the use - the animal world also suffers great damage due to the worldwide use of Roundup. Research shows that glyphosate also has a negative impact on earthworm, spider and bird populations. [5]
Glyphosate also naturally comes into contact with groundwater and surface water through surface runoff and leaching. The devastating thing: Glyphosate is highly toxic to bodies of water. Depending on the dose, the agent can destroy almost everything that lives and grows in the water. Be it aquatic plants, fish, amphibians or dragonfly larvae - if they come into contact with the glyphosate, they die. Of course, the agent also seeps into the groundwater and sooner or later ends up in drinking water. [4]
More and more farmers are fighting for their existence
A mysterious death of cattle in Europe has been worrying for years. Animals are born malformed [7], dairy, chicken and pig farmers lose their livelihoods and farmers and their families become ill. One thing seems to be to blame for this: glyphosate. Genetic soy has been used as animal feed in Europe for almost 20 years. Since then, farmers have observed a significant increase in animal diseases. Even if many authorities see no connection between the diseases and the active ingredient glyphosate. Farmers have a different opinion. Many report deformities and miscarriages.
And as if that wasn't bad enough, the number of sick farmers is also increasing drastically. Glyphosate residues have also been detected in barn air and cattle faeces. As a result, many farmers in Germany are already seriously ill today.
The situation is different in rural regions of Latin America, where glyphosate-resistant plants are cultivated and a lot of Roundup spraying is done, e.g. by plane. Farmers are not the only ones who get sick here. Newborns are also more and more often born with diseases. Mostly with physical and mental disabilities. Studies here have shown thatthere have been many more cases of cancer, leukemia and Non-Hodgkin in recent years in areas where Roundup is sprayed heavily, in steadily increasing numbers among younger and younger people. In addition, there were more and more miscarriages and fewer pregnancies in these places. On top of that, cases of congenital malformations, which previously did not occur in the regions, also began to increase. [1]
We Germans also absorb glyphosate
Whoever thinks that only the animals and farmers are affected is wrong. The glyphosate finds its way from the fields to the stables and finally to our plates via eggs, milk, meat and grain. Unfortunately, only sporadic checks are carried out to determine whether and to what extent residues of glyphosate occur in food. But the fact is that in 2012 a random survey in 18 European cities showed that almost half of all people had glyphosate in their urine. And that also applies to Germany. Well over half of Germans have glyphosate in their bodies. [1][2]
Several studies show how this can happen. For example, a study by Ökotest magazine showed that eight out of ten rolls tested were contaminated with glyphosate [3][6]. Also oatmeal, flour and bread. Because humans and animals do not have the enzyme that inhibits glyphosate, it was considered harmless for a long time. The herbicide has also passed the necessary tests in the course of approvals so far without any problems. However, now that we seem to be getting it from food, the number of studies is increasing.
A worrying study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an entity of the WHO, , for example, has now also found that the herbicide glyphosate definitely causes cancer in animals and is highly likely to cause cancer in humans. Above all, lymph gland and lung cancer is said to trigger glyphosate and thus the weed killer Roundup, which is so popular. [4]
Monsanto Denies All Allegations
Monsanto has so far vehemently denied all allegations. It is often said, for example, that investigations have been deliberately ignored. It's almost always the case that when studies are released that categorize glyphosate as a ticking time bomb, Monsanto is quick to row back and counterattack. Of course, Monsanto also reacted promptly to the WHO investigations. Monsanto says it hasn't been scientifically proven that Roundup can cause cancer. Monsanto is now even insisting on a revocation from the WHO. [4][8]
The good: next toAustria and France, Germany is now also reacting. In May 2015, the federal government's consumer protection ministers called for a ban on pesticides containing the active ingredient glyphosate. The Ministry of Agriculture then only replied that there was still no legal basis for a ban. However, the approval of glyphosate is currently being re-examined by the EU, since the current approval of the active substance ends in December 2015. Update: The permit has been extended to 06/30/2016.
In May 2015, the Greens in the Bundestag also called on DIY stores to voluntarily stop using glyphosate. Some hardware stores also reacted promptly. toom hardware store, for example, has decided to withdraw all remaining products containing glyphosate from sale by September 30 at the latest. [8th]
Conclusion on Roundup, glyphosate and co.:
The fact that the first countries want to regulate or completely ban the use of Roundup or weed killers containing glyphosate is at least a small step in the right direction. It cannot be that everyone can just buy Roundup in stores and use it in their own garden when it is so harmful to nature and people. Most of them probably don't even know about this danger. In our opinion, if you want to protect yourself, your family and our environment, you should definitely stay away from Roundup and similar weed killers with glyphosate. Otherwise you only support Monsanto. And I think that should stop as soon as possible. I have now taught my neighbors better. He certainly won't use Roundup in his garden again (I hope).
Interesting video about Roundup/glyphosate & its impact:
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Sources:
1. http://www.mdr.de/fakt/glyphosat-teratogene-effekt-100.html
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1VWcSaUiHo
3. http://www.oekotest.de/cgi/index.cgi?artnr=102072&bernr=04
4. http://www.zentrum-der-gesundheit.de/monsanto-glyphosat-krebswachsen-ia. html
5. http://www.umweltinstitut.org/themen/landwirtschaft/pestizide/glyphosat.html
6. http://www.daserste.de/information/wissen-kultur/ w-wie-wissen/sendung/glyphosat-100.html
7. http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-79051540.html
8. https:// www.tagesschau.de/ausland/glyphosat-101.html
9.http://diepresse.com/home/leben/gesundheit/4694250/Krebs_Diskussion-um-Pflanzenschutzmittel-Glyphosat-
10. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto