Is Monsanto’s Herbicide Harming Male Fertility?
Sayer Ji, Contributing Writer
Activist Post
In a disturbing study published last month (Dec. 2011) in the Journal of Toxicology in Vitro, researchers found that Monsanto’s popular “weed killer” known as Roundup, which has already been linked to over 25 adverse health effects, is also capable of interfering with and/or harming the male reproductive system.
Researchers tested Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide, on mature rat testicular cells at a concentration range between 1 and 10,000 ppm, which they described as “the range in some human urine and in environment to agricultural levels.” They found that within 1 to 48 hours of Roundup exposure testicular (Leydig) cells were damaged or killed.
What is more disturbing is that even at a lower, presumably “non toxic” concentration of 1 ppm of Roundup, or glyphosate by itself, testosterone concentrations were observed to decrease by 35%.
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Keep in mind that 1 ppm of Roundup is an infinitesimal concentration. Distilled water, as a reference point, contains between 5-10 ppm of dissolved solids. How can such a small concentration of Roundup/glyphosate cause such a profound disruption of biological activity in testicular cells? The phenomenon is known as endocrine disruption.
Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interfere with the “synthesis, secretion, transport, binding, action, or elimination of natural hormones in the body that are responsible for development, behavior, fertility, and maintenance of homeostasis (normal cell metabolism),” and are capable of interfering with hormonal health even in minute concentrations. Whereas a higher concentration of Roundup might result in immediate cell death, a much lower one can alter the hormonal and genetic expression of that cell, perhaps taking it down the path towards pathological dysfunction, or even cancer.
Ultimately, the problem with Roundup/glyphosate and endocrine disruption is not simply theoretical. Most of us in the industrialized world are already being exposed to significant concentrations in our air, rain, drinking water and food. Mass herbicide exposure is just one form of fall-out from what is perhaps the largest example of mass human experimentation ever conducted: the co-option of the global staple food production system by chemical and biotech companies. We did not give our consent to this experiment, nor were we fully informed it was happening to us. Only through raising awareness will we be able to turn the tide against the ceaseless chemical and biological assault against our health represented by companies such as Monsanto and Dow AgroScience. Please consider taking positive action in the following two ways:
ACTION ALERT #1: Vote Down Dow’s New 2,4 D Resistant GMO Corn
The US government has made available a petition, open to public commentary until Feb. 27th, 2012, which concerns Dow AgroScience’s application for non-regulated status for its 2,4 D resistant corn. PLEASE voice your concerns today, and send a clear message that we will not accept further the wholesale deregulation of bioengineered foods and widespread application of dangerous systemic biocides (euphemistically and myopically called herbicides).
ACTION ALERT #2: Support The California Anti-GMO Ballot Initiative
Learn about the California ballot initiative that will force GMO foods to be labeled. This is the front line of the struggle against the continued assault on human and environmental health by corporations like Monsanto.
Please visit GreenMedInfo to access their vast database of articles and the latest information in natural health.
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