WHITE WASH: THE STORY OF A WEED KILLER, CANCER, AND THE CORRUPTION OF SCIENCE

Carey Gillam, (2017), Island Press, Washington reviewed by Dr. Jay Bushnell


When shopping for food, you may take comfort in reading that a product is non-GMO or not a genetically modified organism. Your reasons may be that you would like to avoid artificially genetically modified items in your body. There are good reasons for that. Our evolution is a result of long adaptive series of mutations, so one should be cautious of adding items that may increase mutation rates like GMOs. Another reason is that you would like to avoid the herbicide, glyphosate i.e. Roundup, used on GMO crops. GMO crops were developed by Monsanto specifically to resist glyphosate herbicides. The mantra by the industry is and has been, “oh”, they are completely safe. Lead in gas, DDT, or smoking asbestos, PCB, to name a few, all were labeled safe. You may also remember Agent Orange, which was made by Monsanto for defoliation in Vietnam war. It was named agent Orange because it came in Orange stripped barrels. It was made with very toxic chemicals, called 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T, that caused cancers including non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer that has also been associated with glyphosate.

Now, just know that you have glyphosate in your body. It is in the water, air, and food. In May of 2016, 48 European Union parliamentary members contributed urine samples for a test for glyphosate. All samples came back positive at far higher levels than was considered safe. One study cited, found glyphosate in all U.S. honey, with some samples five times the recommended levels.

From 1995 to 2014, the amount in U. S. agriculture increased from 40 million pounds to 276 million pounds. Roundup was to control weeds. GMOs was developed to resist Roundup. Sprayed on crops, it initially worked to control weeds. But weeds mutated to resist the spray and evolved into super weeds, weeds so tough that the plows cannot till the soil.

Gilliam identifies the players who are a part of the charade as well as those who are fighting back.

Early studies of safety were anything but scientific with the Monsanto “scientist” controlling the results under the guise of “trade secrets,” meaning the studies were not peer reviewed or done by third party scientists. Our Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) even became a player by placing financial gain over human and environmental health. The State Department even pushed the GMO agenda.

Roundup ready soybeans were introduced in 1996. Corn, cotton, and canola oil followed in 2000. Now ponder all the products made with GMO ingredients: cereal, baby food, livestock feed…. By 2013, 90% of soybean crops and 80% of corn were GMOs. Even non-GMO crops are not necessarily safe. Monsanto has convinced farmers to apply Roundup to crops like oats, barley, rice, and non-GMO wheat as a drying agent to dry the crop faster for harvesting. Of course, the residue of the herbicide would still be in the finished product!  

Now the EPA continues to raise the tolerance rate based on the mantra that the product is safe. As if that was not enough, other chemicals are added to boast performances making the product even more dangerous. Moreover, the USDA or EPA do not test glyphosate residue even when U.S. Governmental Accountability Office order them to do these tests.

Studies found that children’s IQ and various neurobehavioral development issues can be traced to pesticides. Tumors, liver problems, kidney problems, pancreatic problems, and fetal malformation have all showed up in studies with rats. One study in Indiana, found 90% of pregnant women had glyphosate in their urine. Recently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an arm of the WHO, has classified glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen.

Organic food is one way to combat the risk. “You are what you eat or ingest.”

Finally, remember the Monarch Butterfly.