“Whitewash: The Story of a Weed
Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science”, by Carey Gilliam, published in
2017, is a book about glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup.
Glyphosate
is a chelating agent, a chemical that bonds to minerals. It was originally
manufactured to remove mineral deposits in water boilers. Monsanto researchers
discovered it would bond to, and disrupt, a phosphate bearing enzyme necessary
for plants and bacteria, but not mammals. The weed-killer, Roundup, went to
market in 1970 as a wide spectrum herbicide, and was an immediate commercial
success. It was advertised as less harmful than other herbicides, safer than
aspirin, and almost safe enough to drink.
MONSANTO LEADERSHIP
By 1995, annual US application of
glyphosate was 40 million pounds, the seventh most widely used herbicide at the
time, with 147 million pounds used globally. It was applied for weed control
before planting and after harvest, limiting the overall use. At this point
Monsanto introduced genetically modified (GMO) crops which were glyphosate
resistant, so Roundup could be applied during the entire growing season. Sales
soared and by 2014, annual US application was 275 million pounds and 1.8
billion pounds globally, the most widely used herbicide on the planet.
Problems
soon appeared as weeds became resistant to glyphosate. Totally resistant super
weeds now infest more than 70 million acres in the US, increasing each season.
They are so tall and strong they can damage farm equipment. They must be
removed by hand, erasing the original advantage of the product. More Roundup
has to be applied every year to get the same results, but increased application
contaminates waterways, damages the soil by removing key nutrients, and kills
soil micro-fauna necessary for healthy plants.
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