ISIS Report 06/10/10 22. Interviews with Argentine people affected by glyphosate spraying,conducted in August 2010 by journalist Dario Aranda, are available here: http://www.gmwatch.eu/component/content/article/12479-reports-reports
Argentina's Roundup Human Tragedy
Ten years of GM soy and glyphosate poisoning have escalated the rates of cancer and birth defects. Claire RobinsonGM soy a death sentence for humans and the environment
Argentina has become a giant experiment in farminggenetically modified (GM) Roundup Ready (RR) soy, engineered to betolerant to Roundup, Monsanto’s formulation of the herbicide glyphosate.The Argentine government, eager to pull the country out of a deepeconomic recession in the 1990s, restructured its economy around GM soygrown for export, most of which goes to feed livestock in Europe. In2009, GM soy was planted on 19 million hectares - over half ofArgentina’s cultivated land - and sprayed with 200 million litres ofglyphosate herbicide [1]. Spraying is often carried out from the air,causing problems of drift.
In 2002, two years after the first big harvests ofRR soy in the country, residents and doctors in soy producing areasbegan reporting serious health effects from glyphosate spraying,including high rates of birth defects as well as infertility,stillbirths, miscarriages, and cancers [2]. Environmental effectsinclude killed food crops and livestock and streams strewn with deadfish [2, 3].
One of the first medical doctors to report problemsfrom glyphosate spraying of GM soy was Dr Darío Gianfelici, fromCerrito, Entre Ríos, Argentina. According to Gianfelici, there are twolevels of toxic effects from glyphosate: acute effects, such asvomiting, diarrhoea, respiratory problems, and skin rashes; and chroniceffects, which take 10–20 years to show up. These include infertilityand cancer [4].
Gianfelici said [4]: “Our town experienced drasticchanges before and after soy. I’ve seen people die from cancer at age30. I have witnessed pregnancy problems and a significant increase infertility problems. I have seen an increase in respiratory diseases, ashas never been seen before.
“GM soy has been a death sentence for humans andfor the environment. No money can compensate for the damage that hasbeen caused – the contamination, the deaths, the cases of cancer andmalformations.”
Scientists corroborate birth defects & threatened by organised mob
Reports of birthdefects in glyphosate-sprayed areas of Argentina gained scientificcredibility in 2009, when senior Argentine government scientist Prof.Andrés Carrasco went public with his research findings, fully published ayear later [1], that glyphosate causes malformations in frog andchicken embryos at doses far lower than those used in agriculturalspraying (see [5] Lab Study Establishes Glyphosate Link to BirthDefects, SiS 48). “The findings in the lab are compatible withmalformations observed in humans exposed to glyphosate duringpregnancy,” said Carrasco [6], “I suspect the toxicity classification ofglyphosate is too low ... in some cases this can be a powerful poison.”At a recent conference, Carrasco, professor anddirector of the Laboratory of Molecular Embryology, University of BuenosAires Medical School and lead researcher of the National Council ofScientific and Technical Research (CONICET), said a frequent result ofmalformations in human embryos is miscarriage. He said that it was nownot unusual for women in GM soy producing regions of Argentina to haveup to five miscarriages in a row [7].
The research findings of Carrasco and hiscolleagues were not welcomed by some sectors of government and industry.After he announced them, four people from Argentina’s crop protectiontrade association CASAFE were sent to try to search his laboratory andhe was “seriously told off” by Lino Barrañao, Argentina’s science andtechnology minister [6].
Things took a violent turn in 2010, when anorganized mob of thugs attacked people who gathered to hear Carrascotalk in La Leonesa, an agricultural town that has become a centre foractivism against agrochemical spraying of soy and rice crops. Threepeople were seriously injured. Carrasco and a colleague shut themselvesin a car and were surrounded by people making violent threats andbeating the car for two hours [8]. Witnesses said the attack wasorganized by local officials and a local rice producer to protect theeconomic interests behind local agro-industry. Amnesty International hascalled for an investigation.
Revolutionary ruling ban agrochemical sprays
Based on Carrasco’sfindings and other reports of health problems from spraying, theEnvironmental Lawyers Association of Argentina petitioned the SupremeCourt of Argentina to ban the use of glyphosate (see [9] Glyphosate Herbicide Could Cause Birth Defects, SiS43). But such is Argentina’s dependence on the GM soy farming modelthat Guillermo Cal, executive director of CASAFE, said [6] a ban wouldmean “we couldn’t do agriculture in Argentina”. In addition, thecash-strapped Argentine government relies heavily on tariffs levied onsoy exports and is protective of the industry.No national ban on glyphosate has yet beenimplemented. But in March 2010, just months after the release ofCarrasco’s findings, a lawsuit brought by sprayed residents resulted in aregional court banning the spraying of agrochemicals near populatedareas of Santa Fe province [10]. The ruling was revolutionary in that itimplemented the precautionary principle and reversed the burden ofproof [11]. No longer do residents have to prove that agrochemicalspraying causes harm, but the government and soy producers have to proveit is safe.
Viviana Peralta, a housewife, instigated thelawsuit. She and her family were hospitalized following aerial sprayingnear her home. Her newborn baby had turned blue and Peralta herselfsuffered respiratory problems. Peralta said, “When I saw my baby likethat, I said [11], “Enough. This cannot go on.” ”
State commission reports birth defects up fourfold in ten years
Shortly after theresidents’ court victory, a commission of the provincial government ofChaco state reported that between 2000 and 2009, the rate of childhoodcancers tripled in La Leonesa and the birth defects increased nearlyfourfold over the entire province [12]. These staggering rises indisease coincided with the expansion of the agricultural frontier intoChaco province and the resulting rise in agrochemical use. Thecommission identified the main problem as glyphosate and otheragrochemicals applied to “transgenic crops, which require aerial andground spraying (dusting) with agrochemicals”.A member of the Chaco commission, who did not wantto be identified due to the “tremendous pressures” they were under, said[13], “all those who signed the report are very experienced in thesubject under study, but rice and soy planters are strongly pressuringthe government. We don’t know how this will end, as there are manyinterests involved.”
Embryonic defects at well below legal exposure levels
Speaking at aconference, Carrasco noted the irony that Argentina’s people aresuffering from the production of a commodity (GM soy) destined forEurope, which European consumers do not want [7]. Europe imports around38 million tonnes of soy per year [14], much of which is GM soy sprayedwith glyphosate. Because of consumer resistance to GM, most of it endsup hidden in animal feed.Carrasco found malformations in frog and chickenembryos injected with 2.03 mg/kg glyphosate – nearly ten times lowerthan the maximum residue limit (MRL) for glyphosate allowed in soy inthe EU (20 mg/kg) [15]. Soybeans have been found to contain glyphosateresidues at levels up to 17mg/kg [16].
Defenders of glyphosate may say that these figuresdo not show a risk to consumers, because embryos are designed to keeptoxins out. However, studies show that the added ingredients (adjuvants)in Roundup make cell membranes more permeable to glyphosate, increasingits toxicity to cells [17, 18].
Even without soy, glyphosate is all around us.Apart from its use in agriculture, Roundup is marketed to home gardenersas safe to use around children and pets. It is sprayed on schoolyardsand verges by local authorities. The myth of Roundup’s safety persistsdespite two court rulings forcing Monsanto to withdraw advertisingclaims that Roundup is biodegradable and environmentally friendly [19,20].
Long list of peer-reviewed studies document glyphosate toxicities
In reality, theresearch of Carrasco’s team is the latest in a long list ofpeer-reviewed studies showing dangers to health and the environment fromglyphosate. Many of these studies are collected in a new reportco-authored by nine international scientists [21], “GM Soy: Sustainable?Responsible”. The report challenges claims of sustainability for GM soyand the glyphosate herbicide on which it relies. Published by GLS Bank,Germany and ARGE Gentechnik-frei, Austria’s GM-free industryassociation, the report has been released together with the powerfultestimonies of Argentine people affected by glyphosate spraying on GMsoy [22].Carrasco remains humble about his study, saying[11], “The origin of my work is my contact with the communitiesvictimized by agrochemical use. They are the irrefutable proof of myresearch.” So the final word on the claimed safety of glyphosate andother agrochemicals sprayed on GM soy must go to Peralta. She said [11]:“I do not know about chemistry, I did not go to university, but I knowwhat my whole family has suffered. To people who are not familiar withthis model of agriculture, I say: Do not trust these companies. Rejectagrochemicals. Do it for the life of your children.”
References
1. Paganelli A, GnazzoV, Acosta H, Lopez SL and Carrasco AD. Glyphosate-based herbicidesproduce teratogenic effects on vertebrates by impairing retinoic acidsignalling. Chem Res Toxicol, August 9. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/tx10017492. Gianfelici, D.R. 2009. La Soja, La Salud y LaGente.http://zatega.net/zats/libro-quotla-soja-la-salud-y-la-gente-quot-dr-dario-gianfelici-27052.htm
3. Branford, S. 2004. Argentina’s Bitter Harvest.New Scientist, April 17, 40-43.http://www.grain.org/research/contamination.cfm?id=95
4. Dr Darío Gianfelici, Interview by Darío Aranda,August 2010.http://www.gmwatch.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12484:reports-dario-gianfelici-interview
5. Ho MW. Lab study establishes link to birth defects. Science in Society 48 (to appear).
6. Webber, J., Weitzman, H. 2009. Argentina pressedto ban crop chemical after health concerns. Financial Times, May 29.http://www.gene.ch/genet/2009/Jun/msg00006.html
7. Prof. Andrés Carrasco, speaking at the GMO-FreeRegions Conference at the European Parliament, Brussels (September16–18, 2010)
8. Amnesty International. 2010. Argentina: Threats deny community access to research. 12 August 2010. http://bit.ly/cJsqUR
9. Ho MW. Glyphosate herbicide could cause birth defects. Science in Society 43, 36, 2009.
10. Romig, S. 2010. Argentina court blocksagrochemical spraying near rural town. Dow Jones Newswires, March 17.http://bit.ly/cg2AgG
11. Dario Aranda, Interview with Viviana Peralta,instigator of the lawsuit, August 2010.http://www.gmwatch.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12486:reports-viviana-peralta-interview
12. Comision Provincial de Investigación deContaminantes del Agua. 2010. Primer informe. Resistencia, Chaco. April.Report available in original Spanish: http://www.gmwatch.eu/files/Chaco_Government_Report_Spanish.pdf or in English translation: http://www.gmwatch.eu/files/Chaco_Government_Report_English.pdf
13. Aranda, D. 2010. La salud no es lo primero enel modelo agroindustrial. Pagina12, June 14.http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-147561-2010-06-14.html
14. Cert ID. Cert ID Certified ‘Non-GMO’ Soy Mealand Other Soy Products: Volumes Available from South America. PortoAlegre, Brazil, July 14, 2008.
15. Pesticide residues in food – 1997: Report.Report of the Joint Meeting of the FAO Panel of Experts on PesticideResidues in Food and the Environment and the WHO Core Assessment Groupon Pesticide Residues. Lyons, France, 22 September – 1 October 1997.http://www.fao.org/docrep/w8141e/w8141e0u.htm
16. Pesticide residues in food – 2005. Report ofthe Joint Meeting of the FAO Panel of Experts on Pesticide Residues inFood and the Environment and the WHO Core Assessment Group on PesticideResidues, Geneva, Switzerland, 20–29 September. FAO Plant Production andProtection Paper 183, 7.
17. Haefs R, Schmitz-Eiberger M, Mainx HG,Mittelstaedt W, Noga G. Studies on a new group of biodegradablesurfactants for glyphosate. Pest Manag. Sci. 2002. 58, 825–33.
18. Marc J, Mulner-Lorillon O, Boulben S, Hureau D,Durand G, Bellé R. Pesticide Roundup provokes cell division dysfunctionat the level of CDK1/cyclin B activation. Chem Res Toxicol. 2002, 15, 326–31.
19. Attorney General of the State of New York,Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau, Environmental Protection Bureau.1996. In the matter of Monsanto Company, respondent. Assurance ofdiscontinuance pursuant to executive law §63(15). New York, NY, Nov.False advertising by Monsanto regarding the safety of Roundup herbicide(glyphosate).
http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/Monsanto-v-AGNYnov96.htm
20. Monsanto fined in France for “false” herbicideads. Agence France Presse, 26 Jan 2007.http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_4114.cfm
21. Antoniou M., Brack P, Carrasco, A., Fagan, J., Habib, M., Kageyama, P.,Leifert, C., Nodari, R., Pengue, W. 2010. GM Soy: Sustainable?Responsible? GLS Gemeinschaftsbank and ARGE Gentechnik-frei. Downloadfull report and summary from: http://bit.ly/9D9J2k. At the time of writing, the full report is available in
Comments
I have found some Australians that are mad as hell about what happened to them with the same poisons. This is interesting. Canadians and Australians are interested. No one in US. Are we all brainwashed or what?
Wish I could post music like Amelia does. I found interesting things on UTube when I was looking for Navajo healing singers.
If you get a chance listen to this one and watch the simple video. It is like the real feeling of the Navajo Nation: Navajo Early Morning Blessing. Be sure to put "Navajo" or you get a bunch of new age stuff.
Also found some Navajo guys talking about the relocation and coal mines over there. I am trying to think of how they got a video camera - they are so outback. Maybe one of their kids. This place is near where I was living, but I don't know them. It's called 'bigmountain' by blackmesaaz. One is called black mesa emergency. There are different little videos. You can tell it is the real deal by the bad goat behavior. They are my age and the generation that got sent to the boarding schools. These guys are pretty chubby, but you don't want to mess with them. They can move pretty fast and you can't hear them. You can see that powerful thing in video #5. That one reminds me of my former significant other. There is no reason these guys do not have their own land - except the way it is set up to get it. If you get sent off the rez (or stolen by Mormons), when you get back, you have no place to go. That is happening a lot now with folks returning from the outside world after they lost jobs and homes.
These Dine guys say more in these short little videos than all the anthropologists I have ever heard.
Trying to get ready for winter. It's supposed to be here tomorrow.
Blessings
I just found this piece that Pono posted. He is on Maui at this time.
A little known fact is that much of the beef we see in the markets is the product of cloned bulls.
Percy Schmeiser is a Canadian farmer who spent 50 years developing strains of Canola. He was sued and harassed by Monsanto who said their GM canola was growing in his fields and he did not pay for it. He has fought Monsanto and won. There was a documentary about him and his wife on Free Speech TV recently. Percy Schmeiser.com
United Fruit destroyed a lot of the farm land in Costa Rica. When I was living there from 1992-1994, the farm workers were so sick that they were ending their own lives by drinking the pesticides. Many were sterile. In a culture so closely entwined with children and family, this was horrendous. Farm land on the east and west coasts is completely sterile now - nothing will grow there at all.
When bananas are farmed, big blue bags full of poison are tied onto each big bunch while it is still on the tree. When harvest time comes, the campesino workers pull off the bag of poison and throw them all in the rivers. The bags travel down to the ocean. The reef on the east side of the country is completely dead - all grey. It was the only reef of that type in the world. The campesinos are poisoned as well. The bunches of bananas are thrown on big tables and sprayed off. That's it. What you buy in the store is covered with the poison.
I just read a little story about the history of United Fruit. Be careful if you cannot identify the author of these "histories." The story "revealed" the terrible deeds of United Fruit. But in the last couple of sentences, suddenly it stated that Del Monte purchased United Fruit and now these horrible things are not happening anymore. This is not true. Same as ever. Campesinos (country folks) are the workers being poisoned. Also, there is a very large English speaking community of Black people on the east coast who originally came from Jamaica. They are fully bilingual after several generations. An attempt was made to take them further south (basically as slave labor), but many of them refused to go and jumped ship in Costa Rica. Plenty of great Reggae coming out of Costa Rica and Panama. They are also victims of the poisonings.
What about the bees? And why does the media continue to print stories about the "mysterious disappearance of bees." It's not rocket science.