Glyphosate - a carcinogen (or not)?

[Land Owner]

Not to interrupt or derail another "similar" Our Town thread - http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...using-ag-spray, what do you think of the attempt to vilify glyphosate as a carcinogen through Class Action law suit (commercial gardeners, farmers, golf courses, etc)? The EPA says "it might be" though they haven't come out and labeled it as such, and from that "poisonous fruit" the ever-so-eager lawyers are attempting to "show cause" that Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma is the side effect of commercial spraying of glyphosate. Would that not necessitate wrongful use (as in not following the Mfg's label directions) in its application?

I have been using it for DECADES on my hobby food plots, or in advance preparation thereof, and as edge dressing for both hunting property and home "beautification" without so much as a sniffle.

I believe some folks are predisposed to some illnesses and that there can be found "circumstantial evidence" of just about anything.

[Hickory]

I never thought Roundup was safe, at least not to drink. Nor the claim that it became inert when it came in contact with soil.

[farmerjim]

I do not believe that it is a carcinogen. Lawyers can pick a dumb jury and convince them that anything is true. I just bought 15 more gallons of the 41% concentrate in case the idiot EPA pulls it off the market.

[NSB]

Lawyers didn't do the research that determined that glyphosate is a carcinogen. Anyone who argues the idea is free to use it if they want to. I still use it on my food plots, but my heads not up my butt in saying it's safe to use......there is a risk you take to use it. Statistically, you probably aren't going to get cancer if you use it with some common sense. What does happen is that your risk increases at each exposure. People love to be in denial about things they do that expose them to risk. I worked as an operations manager for several large corporations and I still can't believe the total avoidance to using safety practices that would protect from injury or serious illness. I spent years writing people up for handling solder and not using ANY saftey equipment of proper hygiene practices. All the people who argued that it was safe were the ones who tested high for lead. Duh! Glyphosate isn't going away, but use some common sense when applying it. I've seen people use an ATV mounted sprayer on the front of their machine instead of the rear. They drive right into the mist. Those same people don't even bother using a proper face mask. I have no doubt it's a carcinogen, most chemicals are at some exposure level. This one is more of a carcinogen at lower levels. You can either go into denial or use some common sense, your choice.
Note: Sorry for the lecture. In 99% of all the industrial safety accidents I investigated, the employee was avoiding using provided safety equipment or turning off guards, etc. True accidents are somewhat rare.

[bikerbeans]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5515989/

Answer depends on who you ask.

BB

[bedbugbilly]

I have used RU for years for weed control - not only in regards to our lawn (basically farmland) but it was used on our farm as well - I've used it for weed control on commercial property I own as well. Is it dangerous? I'm not qualified to give that answer but before people start screaming that the sky is falling, I'm a firm believer that an independent and objective study needs to be done on it and the results not whitewashed by special interests to let the public know for sure. One thing I do now, it is a heck of a lot better to use than the old 2-4-D the was used for years.

The Left and their "New Green Deal" wants to do away with cattle because the pass too much gas. Really? If they think that - then just imagine what they would want to do with such things as RU and other products that have become essential in agricultural production? OSC and her recipes aren't even smart enough to know where their food comes from or what is involved in feeding a whole nation of people in our country let along assisting in other countries.

Like I said though, if this is becoming a "new issue" in the terms of the use of RU, then it needs to be studied by qualified scientific individuals who can produce an unbiased summary and then go from there - and if it is dangerous - then somebody better be developing something else that performs the same job that isn't dangerous. For those fools out there that think the "guvment should do a study" - you are nothing but naive sheep. There are a lot of "young's" on this site who weren't around 55 or so years ago but there are a lot of Vets on here who were. "Agent Orange" was touted as "harmless" by Dow Chemical and the U.S. Government - tell that to those who were exposed to it and have since passed or are now suffering from the exposure they received in VN. I'm not a Vet . . .. but I have lost a number of friends as the result of them having been exposed to AO.

Sorry for the rant . . . but I get sick and tired of the pros and cons touted on the Internet, the ads for ambulance chasing sleazy attorneys whose ads ask, "Have you been exposed to Round Up?". If there is a question as to whether RU is dangerous, then let the independent research be done and the TRUE facts released to the public - the politicians may think that the average American is stupid, but I have confidence that most are intelligent enough to read an unbiased study and decide for themselves if they want to use it or not if it remains on the market.

[white cloud]

I buy the glyphosate concentrate in five gallon jugs for use on our timber tract. I follow directions. I don't worry about it. Glyphosate one of the most tested chemical in history? If they succeed in stopping the use of glyphosate in agriculture , there are going to be a lot of hungry people running around.

[mattw]

I never thought Roundup was safe, at least not to drink. Nor the claim that it became inert when it came in contact with soil.

I have been using roundup for decades as a farmer with dad and a gardener. In my testing, the product can be applied according to label directions and given 1 week to degrade before planting with no ill effects. Most chemicals will not allow that from testing, 2,4-D definitely will not allow for that without residual damage.

The world will not be a better place without Glyphosate. We are more and more depended upon in the midwest to produce 250 bushel corn and 70+ bushel beans, this will not happen if you can't control your weed bank.

Would I drink it... hell no! Will I use it, you bet! In days gone by, I think some of our chemicals were really bad to work with and be around. In the 70's and 80's we worked with Lasso, if you did not mask you did not feel good for a few days, Paraquat and DDT not good. 2,4-D, Roundup and some of the other designer herbicides are pretty good stuff.

[Froogal]

I'm 68 years old. I have used the product ever since it was introduced, and I've probably been exposed to it just as much as anyone and I've experienced NO problems. I live on an acreage in a very rural area. I'm surrounded by corn fields and soybean fields and there is a LOT of aerial spraying done out here. I don't drink it and I don't bathe in it.

[JimB..]

For the guys suggesting an honest study, might as well address climate change and the link between vaccinations and autism at the same time. As a society we are well past scientific truth, everything is about what the intentionally ignorant masses believe or what the government needs to show in order to implement the policy that it wants.

[Froogal]

For the guys suggesting an honest study, might as well address climate change and the link between vaccinations and autism at the same time. As a society we are well past scientific truth, everything is about what the intentionally ignorant masses believe or what the government needs to show in order to implement the policy that it wants.

Thankyou. I agree 100%.

[KCSO]

Bacon is too, I am attempting suicide by bacon, tried again this morning.

[oldred]

Ever since Round Up hit the market it has been stigmatized by the reputation of Agent Orange, whenever people saw any kind of herbicide the spectacle of, and an association with, Agent Orange was there either outright or subconsciously but folks ROUND UP IS NOT AGENT ORANGE! It is a completely different chemical and even if it wasn't Agent Orange itself was not the problem, the problems associated with Agent Orange were due to the contaminate it contained, this of course was the Dioxin which was not even supposed to be in the stuff. That matters little since Dioxin contaminated probably all of the Agent Orange that was manufactured.


I am not saying Round Up is safe or not since like most everyone else I simply don't know but it was tested extensively and has been under more scrutiny than most ag chemicals over the years because of the irrational, and mostly subconscious, fear that it is like Agent Orange. Dangerous? Maybe, maybe not but it's NOT Agent Orange and just because Round Up is a herbicide does not make it similar to Agent Orange in risks.

[popper]

Legal scam on Monsanto. Many herbicides in use - all say don't drink or bath with it. The real point is Monsanto has a lock on GMO seed that the UN doesn't like so they want to punish for GMO use. Ads on TV now say No GMO chickens (etc.) like YES, chickens are GMO - they have been breed to be layers or meat. Total ** by Bayer and UN. What do YOU call genetically breed dogs? GMO!! People are mostly idiots and will believe the media. Kinda like the plywood vapors or milk from cows that had some radiation - forget the name.

[Thundarstick]

The link between non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and farm chemical usage is well established, all farm chemicals carry a risk! The old school farmer's like my Granddaddy, didn't take any precautions! No respirators, protective clothing, or respect for exposure. My Granddaddy did indeed develop, and die from NHL. That said, you'll never convince me RU is in the same league as 2-4D, 2-45T, Treflan,Sudan, and several others I forge the names of, as far as being a carcinogen. The real issue is in proving that any one thing caused someone's cancer and not that this individual just developed cancer. Like the small cell carcinoma lung cancer victim that didn't smoke, work or live with smoker, cancer doesn't always have a cause.

[lightman]

All chemicals have the potential to be dangerous. You should follow the directions. Use rubber gloves when handling them, avoid contact with them, avoid breathing them. Like another poster said, common sense.

I live in farming country. I have corn less than 100ft out my back door right now. I try to stay out of the yard when they are spraying and for a little while afterwards. I'm really glad that Cotton has fallen out of favor around here. Cotton had to be sprayed more than most other crops and some of the chemicals were more dangerous.

I use 2 or 3 chemicals on personal stuff. RoundUp and pre-emerge on my Dove field. RoundUp on my Deer food plots. I use rubber gloves when mixing these and try to watch the wind direction and stay up wind when spraying.

The modern spray rigs around here have pressurized cabs, a luxury not available to a Deer, Duck or Dove farmer.

[1911sw45]

More than likely the ones that developed cancer, has used many types of chemicals in their life time. If one reads the label and uses it according to the label more than likely won't have any problems. But proving that RU caused their cancer is bull.

[gwpercle]

bacon is too, i am attempting suicide by bacon, tried again this morning.

like like like !!!

[Piedmont]

I don't want any poisons anywhere near me or my food. NOTHING gets put on my garden. If the bugs eat some plants that is my tough luck. If there are "weeds" they get pulled, not poisoned.

[1911sw45]

Then don't ever buy any products any where Piedmont. Don't drink your county or city water either.