|
EPA raises the acceptable pesticide levels on US crops
Despite several recent studies linking exposure to the herbicide glyphosate with cancer, Parkinson's disease and infertility, the EPA has ruled to allow higher levels of the chemical used on farm-grown foods. Glyphosate is a weed-killing chemical developed by
Monsanto and is the key ingredient in Roundup, widely used in farming in the U.S. and Europe. For example, new allowable levels on crops such as flax and soybeans have been increased from 20 parts per million to 40 ppm. "Negative impact [of glyphosate] on the body is insidious and manifests slowly over time as inflammation damages cellular systems throughout the body," independent scientist Anthony Samsel and MIT’s Stephanie Seneff wrote in a recent study. The EPA's factsheet says there is "insignificant evidence" that glyphosate can cause cancer.
|