Miami has recently taken the decision to ban the use of Glyphosate throughout the city, this follows the decision taken by other cities in Florida. You may have not known Miami bans Monsanto Roundup but it has had some controversy, there are those who are applauding the decision and then there are those who do not agree with the decision at all and do not agree that it should have been banned.
So what is Glyphosate and who is right?
What is Glyphosate?
For those of you who have not heard of Glyphosate, you will certainly be familiar with the products that make use of Glyphosate. It is essentially a chemical which is used as a weedkiller and it is widely used in many of the well known weed killing formulas. Products containing Glyphosate are used the world over by farmers, councils and by the domestic gardener to kill weeds. Glyphosate is rarely used alone in products and in each weed killing formula, there will be a cocktail of chemicals.
How is Glyphosate Used?
Products containing Glyphosate are used to kill weeds in gardens and in public places such as roadside verges and parks. The weedkiller is essentially sprayed onto the areas containing the weeds. Farmers also use Glyphosate on their soil to keep it weed free prior to planting their crops and will also use it on their crops just before they are due to be collected for harvest as it helps dry out the crops, making the whole process of harvesting much easier. It is a cost effective way for farmers to produce crops and to maximise their yields and hence increase their profits. Organic farms however are not allowed to use Glyphosate and any of the products produced by organic farming are free from the chemical.
What’s the Problem?
It has been shown that Glyphosate has been found in foods that are consumed by the general public, albeit in small amounts. This is likely due to the farming methods and in particular, the use of the product just prior to harvesting. Regulatory agencies have conducted their research and have concluded that the use of Glyphosate on crops, in the way that it is currently being used poses no threat to human health as the amounts are so small. There are those who strongly disagree with this position and will argue that there is a threat to human health and that threat is very real. Concern is also expressed around the airborne nature of the particles and the potential for it to enter the water supply.
The case for Glyphosate
Glyphosate has been used for over 40 years in the cultivation of crops and it has been found to be an extremely effective weedkiller in terms of its ability to kill weeds and also in terms of cost. In order for a farmer to be productive, he / she must be able to produce their crops at a competitive price which means obtaining the highest yield possible. Glyphosate kills weeds through the soil and will continue to work for a number of months, meaning that soil which has been sprayed before the crops are planted, will not need to be resprayed. Without the use of Glyphostae, farmers would have to rely on old fashioned methods to get rid of weeds and that would include ploughing their fields with heavy machinery, contributing to pollution and on top of that there would be staffing costs. In addition, the process would take longer and hence the price of our food may very well have to increase. Many large organisations have completed their own studies and have found no evidence to suggest that Glyphosate has any form of toxic effect.
The Case Against Glyphosate
There are organisations and groups of individuals who consider that Glyphosate should not be used at all. They argue that when a weedkiller is sprayed, the particles become airborne and travel through the air and are able to reach the airways of the population. They also argue that because it is used in soil, it can travel into our water supply and by using directly on the crops, it can find its way into the food chain. It is argued that although some of the amounts are small, it doesn’t matter, there is a cumulative effect and that cumulative effect can cause, and has caused illness in humans. Those who are against Glyphosate argue that there is enough evidence available to support the fact that it can cause illnesses such as cancers, and it serves to disrupt the endocrine system, which is the system responsible for producing our hormones and that it can cause problems to organs such as the liver and the kidneys. Researchers claim that Glyphosate can also damage the constituent parts of soil and kill the microorganisms present in the soil, changing the nature of the soil and hence the nature of the products grown in the soil.
It is further argued that the products which contain Glyphosate are products which also contain other chemicals and the combined force of all of the chemicals working together creates a very unhealthy product which further causes damage to health.
Miami’s Position
Miami have taken the decision to ban the use of Glyphosate, such were their concerns for water quality in the city and that means that any product which contains the chemical cannot now be used.
Conclusion
There are many studies, some large and some small, some support the use of Glyphosate, concluding that there is no danger to human health as a result of the use of Glyphosate. Other studies conclude differently and claim to have results which support concern for human health as a result of using products containing this chemical. It is for the individual to examine both sides of the argument, look at the study, what was considered during the study, the population size of the study, who conducted it and how it was conducted and over how long a period of time the results were taken, and from that, draw their conclusions.
