“Extreme” Levels of Roundup Detected in Food—Are You Eating This
Toxic Contaminant?
May 20, 2014
Recent research shows that genetically engineered (GE) soy
contains high levels of glyphosate along with a poorer
nutritional profile, leading the researchers to conclude that GE
soy is NOT “substantially equivalent” to non-GE soy
On average, GE soy contained 11.9 parts per million (ppm) of
glyphosate. The highest residue level found was 20.1 ppm. No
residues of either kind were found in the conventional non-GE
and organic varieties
Processed foods undoubtedly expose you to this toxic
contamination, courtesy of the GE soy and vegetable oil, GE high
fructose corn syrup, and/or GE sugar beets used
Compared to conventionally-grown non-GE and GE soy, organic
soybeans contained higher levels of protein and zinc, and lower
levels of omega-6
Argentina has become one of the largest producers of GE soy and
corn, and along with it, the country has experienced an
explosion of miscarriages, fertility problems, and abnormal
fetal development
By Dr. Mercola
In 2009, a French court found
Monsanto guilty of lying; falsely advertising its
Roundup herbicide as "biodegradable," "environmentally friendly"
and claiming it "left the soil clean."
We're now starting to understand just how false such statements
are. For example, last summer, a groundbreaking study revealed a
previously unknown mechanism of harm from
glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup.
The research showed that glyphosate residues, found in most
processed foods in the Western diet courtesy of GE sugar beets,
corn, and soy, "enhance the damaging effects of other food-borne
chemical residues and toxins in the environment to disrupt normal
body functions and induce disease."
More recently, a Norwegian study published in Food Technology1
found that genetically engineered (GE) soy contains high levels of
glyphosate, along with a poorer nutritional profile, leading the
researchers to question its quality and safety.
Evidence also suggests glyphosate may be a key player in
Argentina's growing health problems, where birth defects and cancer
rates have skyrocketed among GE corn and soya farming communities.
If You Eat Processed Food, You're Eating Glyphosate
While nearly one billion pounds of glyphosate is doused on both
conventional and GE crops worldwide each year, GE crops receive the
heaviest amounts. It's important to realize that processed foods
undoubtedly expose you to this toxic contamination, courtesy of the
soy and vegetable oil used.2
Ditto for meats from animals raised in confined animal feeding
operations (CAFOs), as soy is a staple of conventional livestock
feed. As noted in the featured article by Rodale News:3
"That herbicide-laced soy winds up in thousands of
nonorganic packaged foods and in animal feed for livestock like
pigs, cows, chickens, and turkeys.
Why is this happening? Genetically engineered crops are
manipulated in a way that could never occur in nature so plants
like corn, soy, canola, cotton, and sugar beets can withstand
high doses of glyphosate-containing herbicides that would
normally kill them. The result? Roundup in food that people and
farm animals eat."
Beware: Glyphosate Is a Systemic Contaminant
It's quite crucial to understand that glyphosate contamination is
systemic, meaning it is present in every cell of the plant,
from root to tip. It's not just an issue of topical contamination,
as with many other agricultural chemicals sprayed on crops.
Normally, you need to thoroughly wash your produce to remove
topical residues, but you simply cannot remove glyphosate from your
produce. And neither can food and animal feed manufacturers who use
GE ingredients in their products.
This is a major reason for avoiding processed foods, over and
beyond the fact that processed foods are less healthy for you from a
nutritional standpoint.
Making matters worse, while evidence is piling up showing the
hazards of glyphosate on human health, farmers are ramping up their
usage of the chemical due to the proliferation of resistant weeds,
and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently raised the
allowable levels of glyphosate in food by significant amounts.4,
5
Allowable levels in oilseed crops such as soy were doubled, from
20 ppm to 40 ppm just lasts summer. It also raised the levels of
permissible glyphosate contamination in other foods—many of which
were raised to 15-25 times previous levels.
GE Soy Is NOT 'Substantially Equivalent' to Non-GE Soy, Researchers
Say
The Norwegian study in question investigated contamination levels
and nutritional contents of three varieties of Iowa-grown soybeans:6
Roundup Ready soybeans; non-GE, conventional soybeans grown using
Roundup herbicide; and organic soybeans, grown without agricultural
chemicals.
On average GE soy contained 11.9 parts per million (ppm) of
glyphosate. The highest residue level found was 20.1 ppm. Meanwhile,
no residues of either kind were found in the conventional non-GE and
organic varieties. (Similar results were found in a 2012
nutritional analysis of GE corn, which was found to contain 13
ppm of glyphosate, compared to none in non-GMO corn.)
Such revelations have serious implications for Americans who eat
an average of 193 pounds of genetically engineered foods each year.7
In an article for The Ecologist,8
two of the researchers point out that these levels are actually
double, or more, of what Monsanto itself has referred to as
"extreme levels:"
"All of the individual samples of GM-soy contained
residues of both glyphosate and AMPA, on average 9.0 mg/kg. This
amount is greater than is typical for many vitamins.
Monsanto (manufacturer of glyphosate) has claimed that
residues of glyphosate in GM soy are lower than in conventional
soybeans, where glyphosate residues have been measured up to
16-17 mg/kg (Monsanto 1999).
These residues, found in non-GM plants, likely must have
been due to the practice of spraying before harvest (for
desiccation).
Another claim of Monsanto's has been that residue
levels of up to 5.6 mg/kg in GM-soy represent '...extreme
levels, and far higher than those typically found.' (Monsanto 1999)." [Emphasis mine]
The researchers also found nutritional differences between the
three types of soy. Compared to conventionally grown non-GE and GE
soy, organic soybeans contained higher levels of protein and zinc,
and lower levels of omega-6. According to the authors:9"This study rejects that GM soy is 'substantially equivalent' to
non-GM soybeans."
Toxicity of Roundup Has Been Vastly Underestimated
The Norwegian researchers also point out that the potential
toxicity of Roundup has likely been vastly underestimated, as
toxicity cannot be attributed solely to the active ingredient,
glyphosate.
"When regulatory agencies assess pesticides for safety
they invariably test only the claimed active ingredient.
Nevertheless, these do not necessarily represent realistic
conditions since in practice it is the full, formulated
herbicide (there are many Roundup formulations) that is used in
the field. Thus, it is relevant to consider, not only the active
ingredient, in this case glyphosate and its breakdown product
AMPA, but also the other compounds present in the herbicide
formulation since these enhance toxicity," they write.10
So, when you see "inert" or "inactive ingredients" listed on the
label of a pesticide or herbicide, please understand that all this
means is that those ingredients will not harm pests or weeds.
This is how federal law classifies "inert" pesticide ingredients.11
It does NOT mean that those ingredients are not harmful to YOU, your
children, or your pets.
Indeed, one 2012 study12
revealed that inert ingredients such as solvents, preservatives,
surfactants and other added substances are anything but "inactive."
They can, and oftentimes do, contribute to a product's toxicity in a
synergistic manner—even if non-toxic in isolation. Certain
adjuvants in glyphosate-based herbicides were also found to be
"active principles of human cell toxicity," adding to the hazards
inherent with glyphosate. It's well worth noting that, according to
the researchers, this cell damage and/or cell death can occur at the
residual levels found on Roundup-treated crops, as well as lawns and
gardens where Roundup is applied for weed control.
They also suspect that Roundup might cause miscarriages and
abnormal fetal development by interfering with hormone production13
-- problems that have skyrocketed in Argentina, following the
introduction of GE soy. A
toxic combination of Roundup and fertilizers has also been
blamed for tens of thousands of deaths among farmers in Sri Lanka,
India, and Central America's Pacific coastline (El Salvador,
Nicaragua, and Costa Rica).
Birth Malformation Skyrocketing in Agricultural Centers of Argentina
As noted in the featured BBC radio report14
above,
Argentina has become one of the world's largest producers and
exporters of GE soy and corn, and along with it, the country has
experienced an explosion of miscarriages, fertility problems, and
abnormal fetal development. In the province of Chaco, birth defects
have quadrupled in the decade following the introduction of GE
crops.15
"[T]here is unease across the nation's vast GM belt,
especially about health. In the northern province of Chaco, the
minister of Public Health wants an independent commission to
investigate cases of cancer and the incidence of children born
with disabilities," BBC reports.16"Pressly interviews the University of Buenos Aires Dr.
Andres Carrasco, who published a study in 2010 showing that
glyphosate can cause birth defects in animal embryos.
Pressly asks Carrasco — what should have happened after
you published your paper? 'Very easy,' Carrasco says. 'The
governments in Argentina — they should call for a moratorium.'
'But you then call the whole of the model into question — what
does that mean for Argentina's economy?' Pressly asks. 'What
about if we are poisoning our people?' Carrasco asks."
More than 18 million hectares in Argentina are covered by GE soy,
on which more than 300 million liters of pesticides are sprayed. In
the village of Malvinas Argentinas, which is surrounded by soy
plantations, the rate of miscarriage is 100 times the national
average, courtesy of glyphosate. According to Dr. Medardo Vasquez, a
neonatal specialist at the Children's Hospital in Cordoba, featured
in the documentary film
People and Power — Argentina: The Bad Seeds:
"I see new-born infants, many of whom are malformed. I
have to tell parents that their children are dying because of
these agricultural methods. In some areas in Argentina the
primary cause of death for children less than one year old is
malformations."
When Food Is Poison...
What the biotech industry, spearheaded by Monsanto, has managed
to do is turn food into poison... quite literally, and in more ways
than one. Glyphosate, which we now know systemically contaminates
the plant and cannot be washed off, has a number of devastating
biological effects, including the following:
Nutritional deficiencies, as glyphosate immobilizes
certain nutrients and alters the nutritional composition of
the treated crop
Disruption of the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids
(these are essential amino acids not produced in your body
that must be supplied via your diet)
Increased toxin exposure (this includes high levels of
glyphosate and formaldehyde in the food itself)
Impairment of sulfate transport and sulfur metabolism;
sulfate deficiency
Systemic toxicity—a side effect of extreme disruption of
microbial function throughout your body; beneficial microbes
in particular, allowing for overgrowth of pathogens
Gut dysbiosis (imbalances in gut bacteria, inflammation,
leaky gut, and food allergies such as gluten intolerance)
Enhancement of damaging effects of other food-borne chemical
residues and environmental toxins as a result of glyphosate
shutting down the function of detoxifying enzymes
Creation of ammonia (a byproduct created when certain
microbes break down glyphosate), which can lead to brain
inflammation associated with autism and Alzheimer's disease
Some researchers now believe glyphosate may very well be one of
the most important factors in the development of a wide
variety of modern diseases and conditions, including but not limited
to:
Autism
Gastrointestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel
disease, chronic diarrhea, colitis, and Crohn's disease
Obesity
Allergies
Cardiovascular disease
Depression
Cancer
Infertility
Alzheimer's disease
Parkinson's disease
Multiple sclerosis
ALS and more
How to Protect Yourself and Your Family from This Systemic Poison
If this isn't reason enough to become an avid label reader to
avoid corn, soy, or sugar beet ingredients, I don't know what is.
Ideally, you'd be best off opting for products bearing the
USDA 100% organic label when buying processed foods in order to
avoid exposure to agricultural chemicals, which certainly are not
limited to Roundup. Don't make the mistake of confusing the
"natural" label with organic standards, however. The "natural"
label is not based on any standards and is frequently
misused by sellers of GE products.
Growers and manufacturers of organic products bearing the USDA
seal, on the other hand, have to meet the strictest standards of any
of the currently available organic labels. My personal
recommendation is to forgo processed fare altogether. Pick up a good
cookbook, and start cooking from scratch using whole organic
ingredients instead. This really is the key to optimal health. Meats
need to be grass-fed or pastured to make sure the animals were not
fed GE corn or soy feed. You'd also be wise to stop using Roundup
around your home, where children and pets can come into contact with
it simply by walking across the area.
Biological Farming Is the Way Out of This Mess
Last year, I interviewed
Dr. Elaine Ingham, an internationally recognized expert on the
benefits of sustainable soil science. According to Dr. Ingham and
other soil experts, a key component of successful agriculture lies
in having the appropriate microbial life in the soil. This includes
beneficial species of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and earthworms—all
of which contribute to plant growth in a number of different ways.
The real nutrition plants require is actually derived from
these beneficial microorganisms in the soil, which take the mineral
material in the soil and convert it into a plant-available form.
Without these microbes plants are unable to achieve their maximum
genetic potential, which is one of the reasons I am not a fan of
hydroponics as it that is really growing with chemicals and no
microbes.
Chemical agriculture is an invention that has now been proven
unsustainable, and we must make the appropriate changes if we want
our descendants to survive on this planet—the situation is becoming
that dire. Chemical technology companies have infiltrated
and taken over agriculture, and it's an extremely profitable
business. But it's quite literally making our food toxic; not to
mention the fact that agricultural chemicals are also rendering
water supplies undrinkable and unsuitable for marine life.
Supporting your local organic farmer is therefore critical both
for the environment and your family's health. Another alternative is
to start growing some of your own.
Sprouts are an excellent place to start if you're new to
gardening. Adding them to your salad, for example, can significantly
boost the nutritional content of your meal. I also encourage you to
support any and all state GE labeling initiatives. The chemical
biotechnology industry has profited through secrecy long enough;
it's time for them to label their wares. Researchers are saying GE
foods are NOT equivalent to non-GE foods; scientific testing bears
that out, and we have a right to know what's what when shopping.
Vote with Your Pocketbook, Every Day
The food companies on the left of this graphic spent tens of
millions of dollars in the last two labeling campaigns—in California
and Washington State–to prevent you from knowing what’s in your
food. You can even the score by switching to the brands on the
right; all of whom stood behind the I-522 Right to Know campaign.
Voting with your pocketbook, at every meal, matters. It makes a huge
difference. By boycotting GMA member Traitor Brands, you can help
level the playing field, and help take back control of our food
supply.
I encourage you to continue educating yourself about genetically
engineered foods, and to share what you’ve learned with family and
friends. Remember, unless a food is certified organic, you can
assume it contains GMO ingredients if it contains sugar from sugar
beets, soy, or corn, or any of their derivatives.
Copyright 1997- 2014 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.