As some of you may know, the herbicide, glyphosate, has been in the news of late. Most notably for the wave of lawsuits against Monsanto Corporation stemming from a clear link between glyphosate and the development of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in folks exposed to their 'Roundup' herbicide product. Monsanto was reportedly aware of the studies which revealed said link to cases of lymphoma, yet they warned no one as they continued to market the weed killing, glyphosate-based product. It was recently announced that the first case challenging Monsanto (a subsidiary of Bayer Corporation) on the Roundup/glyphosate lymphoma matter rendered an award of $289.2 million to a man who had contracted non-Hodgkin lymphoma after using Roundup for 2.5 years at his job as a groundskeeper.
Glyphosate is also widely used by grain/produce farmers in the United States and Canada. In farming, it mainly serves as a desiccant (drying agent) for food crops. One big concern is that glyphosate is so widely used (due to lenient government regulation) that its presence is not limited to the crops upon which it has been directly applied; its residue has been identifed on certified organic produce items as well. The reason for this is largely due to cross-contamination from glyphosate's widespread usage in our environment. When sprayed, it can easily drift or find its way into rain or irrigation water sources. It may also cross-contaminate certified organic foods processed at plants that prepare both organic and non-organic food items. The prevalence of glyphosate in our foods is a serious problem, especially within the United States. Glyphosate is banned in many European counties due to the health risks it poses. As far as cross-contamination involving organic products, our EPA's answer thus far has been to simply raise the permitted levels of glyphosate within certified organic foods. That is far from a responsible measure in my view.
You may be aware that grains are a main ingredient in many bird foods (pelleted or otherwise). Disturbingly, that high grain content lends itself to a persistent dissemination of glyphosate among our feathered companions. Without specific testing in place, there seems no effective way to determine present levels of glyphosate in the commercially produced bird foods that we may be feeding our companions or in the overall diets we have adopted for them. I find the entire matter most alarming and I very much wish I were aware of a solution.
Please review the links below:
ALERT: Certified Organic Food Grown in U.S. Found Contaminated with Glyphosate Herbicide
Roundup’s $289M cancer verdict opens up floodgates for thousands of other lawsuits