I have overcome illness in my life and as a result have been an advocate of natural health practices that support the immune system of the body. This alternative health pathway requires discipline, a basic understanding of what is good for the body and what should be avoided. It requires listening, respecting and supporting your body so it can optimally perform its functions.
When GMO foods first hit the market years ago, I was torn between the goal of ‘feeding the millions’ versus my innate understanding that chemicals were bad for humans and other living things. The story about how glyphosate, the main active ingredient in Roundup affects our body has stuck with me all these years. It goes something like this:
First, they genetically modify the corn (or wheat, or soy) so that it is resistant to glyphosate. They can then spray the entire crop with Roundup, which kills off all other plant diversity, drifts into other farmer’s fields and leaches into the drinking water. Glyphosate affects the shikimate pathway, which is found in plants, and bacteria but not humans. The theory is, when we eat the corn, it is supposed to pass right through us without harm. The reality is, when it hits our intestines, which are populated with bacteria, the glyphosate attacks the bacteria in the gut like it would the weeds in the field. From this perspective it isn’t hard to see why glyphosate is blamed for many chronic diseases.
Indeed, from Zen Honeycutt, Moms Across America ‘Open Letter to Citizens and Organizations for Glyphosate Ban’ 2/8/21
“Studies on glyphosate herbicides have proven either causal or connection to increased risks of multiple cancers, including Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, neurotoxicity, thyroid damage, autism symptoms, nonalcoholic liver disease, the disruption of gut bacteria, which weakens the immune system and can lead to chronic illness, hormonal imbalance, depression, aggression, and addiction. It has also been implicated in causing congenital disabilities, miscarriages, and endocrine disruption, linked to diabetes, obesity, and numerous illnesses.”
But its not just humans it affects plants and animals as well.
From ‘EPA Releases Evaluation of Glyphosate Herbicide Impact on Endangered Species … and It’s Not Good’ by Zen HoneyCutt, 12/2/20 Mom Across America
“The EPA assessment found glyphosate herbicides caused Likely Adverse Affects (LAA) for 93% of species and 97% of critical habitats- 1,676 species and 759 critical habitats. This means that continuing to allow the use of glyphosate in waterways, forestry, and landscaping will lead to the destruction of these endangered species. We certainly hope glyphosate herbicide use will be banned from these uses immediately.”
GMOs seem an obvious fingerprint of The Invisible Powers as they are toxic, patentable, not backed by appropriate science, no demand from consumer, plenty of push-back from activists and plenty of political money to keep us all in the dark.
From: Journal of Environment Protection and Sustainable Development, Vol.4, No.3, Sep. 2018, Pub. Date: Jun. 14, 2018, ‘Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) as Invasive Species’ Authors [01]John Paull, Geography and Spatial Sciences, School of Technology, Environments & Design, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
This paper frames genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as invasive species. This offers a way of considering the reception, diffusion and management of GMOs in the foodscape. “An invasive non-native species is any non-native animal or plant that has the ability to spread causing damage to the environment, the economy, our health and the way we live” (NNSS, 2017).
Without any social licence, pesticide companies have thrust GMOs into the foodscape. The release of GMOs has generally been unwelcome, there has been no ‘pull’ factor from consumers and there has been vocal resistance from many. The apologists for GMOs have argued the self-contradictory conceit that GMOs are ‘same but different’. Under this logically untenable stance, GMOs are to be excluded from specific regulation because they are the ‘same’ as existing organisms, while simultaneously they are ‘different’ and so open to patenting. GMOs are patented and this demonstrates that, prima facie, these are novel organisms which are non-native to the foodscape.
GMO apologists have campaigned intensively, and successfully in USA, to ensure that consumers are kept in the dark and that GMOs remain unlabelled – as a consequence GMOs are ubiquitous in US consumer foods. In contrast, in Australia GMOs are required to be labelled if present in consumer products and, in consequence, Australian food manufacturers do not use them. The release of a GMO calls for biosecurity measures.
After trial plots of Monsanto GM canola in Tasmania in the 1990s, the sites continue to be biosecurity monitored for GMO escape, and volunteer canola plants continue to appear two decades later. In Western Australia the escape of GMO canola into a neighbouring organic farm resulted in the loss of organic certification and the monetary loss of the organic premium for produce.
GMO produce sells for a 10% discount because of market forces and the consumer aversion to GMOs. Where non-GM product is accidentally contaminated with some GM grain, the whole batch is discounted and is sold as GMO.
There is a lack of evidence that GMOs can be contained and many jurisdictions have banned the introduction of GMOs. GMOs have the potential and the propensity to contaminate non-GMO crops and thereby devalue them.
The evidence is that GMOs are invasive species, they are unwelcome by consumers, peaceful coexistence with non-GM varieties is a fiction, and GMOs are appropriately managed as a biosecurity issue.
I have an ask, an important request. We may have differing views on many things, but we are united on the health of our bodies and the plants and animals and our environment. This affects all of us immensely.
Can you please take an hour of your time on this planet and voice your concerns to the EPA? Can you contact 10 of your friends to do the same? Now is the time for us to stand up and let our voices be known!
Open Letter to Citizens and Organizations
for Glyphosate Ban
POSTED BY ZEN L HONEYCUTT 4619.40GS ON FEBRUARY 08, 2021
Open Letter to US Citizens and Women’s, Food, Organic Farming, Endangered Species, and Environmental Organizations
Your actions, based on the following information, could alter the future of our planet.
Glyphosate herbicides are the most widely used agrochemicals in the world. According to the EPA, over 300 million pounds are used in the United States each year, 280 million pounds directly on our food. Crops such as soy, corn, sugar, wheat, beans, peas, alfalfa, and oats make up just some of the crops that feed livestock and humans contaminated with high levels of glyphosate. If our families and pets are not eating only organic food, they consume glyphosate in nearly every bite of their meals. Glyphosate has been found on thousands of human food samples such as cereal, orange juice, eggs, and in pet food, tap water, in our breastmilk, children’s urine, streams, ocean water, and even the rain.
A study by Professor Paul J. Mills, Ph.D., and his clinical research team at the University of California showed in the Journal of the American Medical Association a greater than 1000% increase in human glyphosate levels over the past 23 years.
Studies on glyphosate herbicides have proven either causal or connection to increased risks of multiple cancers, including Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, neurotoxicity, thyroid damage, autism symptoms, nonalcoholic liver disease, the disruption of gut bacteria, which weakens the immune system and can lead to chronic illness, hormonal imbalance, depression, aggression, and addiction. It has also been implicated in causing congenital disabilities, miscarriages, and endocrine disruption, linked to diabetes, obesity, and numerous illnesses.
In summary, Glyphosate exposure is weakening our immune systems, increasing symptom severity from COVID, and contributing to our national shutdown and economic crisis!
The federal EPA is currently accepting comments regarding whether or not to revoke the license of glyphosate (or merely restrict its use) based on their assessment of harm to endangered species. Their initial report claims that the 280 million pounds used per year on agriculture have no impact on endangered species. Only the landscaping use (20 million pounds) harms them. This is false. The agricultural use of glyphosate also has a huge impact on endangered species. The drift, runoff into waterways, and impact on the soil and wildlife surrounding agricultural land, which consists of 913 million acres in the USA, is the primary source of harm to our environment. For some states, such as Iowa, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska, between 85-91% of their state is farmland, primarily conventional farmland that uses glyphosate. Therefore many states have more land being sprayed with glyphosate than not. The impact is enormously detrimental to their soil, water, air, wildlife, organic farming contamination, and human population health.
One can only ascertain that if glyphosate is proving to cause harm 93% of endangered species and 97% of their critical habitats, which are also our habitats, that if we do not act now, we humans and our pets will also soon be endangered species. Please act now!
Take Action Today!
We are asking you, pleading with you, to please make a direct comment (the only ones that count) to the US EPA by March 12, 2021, to ban the use of glyphosate herbicides in the United States. You may use any of the following reasons and any links to studies found on our data page here and comment directly to the EPA using docket number EPA-HQ-OPP-2020-0585 www.regulations.gov.
- Glyphosate is never used alone. Therefore the impact of use, assessment, and approval or denial of its license must include the full formulation studies. Independent, long term studies with blood analysis of the full formulation impact must be included.
- Glyphosate herbicides are endocrine disruptors by many independent studies, and impact has been found to impact multiple generations.
- Over 40 countries and hundreds of cities, school districts, and counties have banned or severely restricted glyphosate use around the world. Discontinuing glyphosate in farming, particularly as a desiccant, has been shown to improve the quality of the grains and the soil and reduce contamination of the environment and residues in food consumed by humans animals, which improves overall health.
- The IARC has found glyphosate herbicides to be carcinogenic. Cancer is often caused by endocrine disruption. Cancerous, life-threatening tumors have been found in alarming numbers on turtles, deer, fish, and numerous species.
- Glyphosate herbicides have been found in streams, ocean water, and even the rain, and by the EPA’s own acknowledgment, is highly toxic to aquatic life. Glyphosate herbicides harm 93% of endangered species and 97% of their critical habitats. Continuing the use of this chemical for any reason only increases the rate of losing our endangered species. It must be discontinued in the marketplace and agricultural, landscaping, forestry, and utility use.
We encourage you to personalize your message, or the EPA will not count it as a unique comment. Please state in your words why it is important to you or your organization to ban the use of glyphosate in the United States for any reason.
Please let us know if you have an organization and you have sent a message and will ask your networks to comment. We are tracking the number of organizations. If granted permission, we will publish the organizations’ names that have commented and sent a letter to both of the above listed regulatory agencies reminding them of our numbers in unity. Please email zen@momsacrossamerica.org with your organization’s name and the number of supporters you represent after you have submitted a comment and, if you wish, a link to your comment.
Thank you very much!
Zen Honeycutt
Founding Executive Director
and Moms Across America Team
Seven Billion Rising 