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Glyphosate can pass through breast milk and may cause an adverse health impact on a mother and her baby, according to a new pilot study.
Glyphosate is the primary active ingredient in Monsanto’s top-selling weed killer Roundup and is found in other pesticides and herbicides. The Moms Across America and Sustainable Pulse study is the first such report to investigate the issue.
The research team found “high” levels of glyphosate in three out of 10 breast milk test samples. The findings in the report indicate that the ingredient often used on genetically modified crops does indeed accumulate in human tissue.
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is now urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to ban the use of glyphosate nationwide.
As previously reported by Off The Grid News, most of the the soybean and corn crops grown in the United States are of the GMO variety and are commonly sprayed with Monsanto’s Roundup. Many Americans are likely consuming glyphosate by the fistful even though they do not spray their own property with the biotech product. Since 1996, the use of Roundup has increased in the US from 15 million pounds per year to 159 million pounds in 2012 – the most recent figures available.
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The glyphosate levels found in the breast milk pilot study were 760 to 1,600 times higher than the European Drinking Water Directive which addresses “safe” levels for individual herbicides and pesticides in that country. The Roundup levels are however, less than the 700 ug/1 maximum containment level permitted for glyphosate consumption in the United States, as determined by the EPA.
Said OCA Director Ronnie Cummins:
For years Monsanto has claimed that glyphosate, the key active ingredient in its Roundup brand herbicide is ‘safe’ because the human body excretes it. This pilot study is the first of its kind to prove that Monsanto is wrong. In fact, this preliminary study shows that glyphosate accumulates in our bodies, and mothers are now passing the toxin on to their infants via breast milk.
The study also analyzed “35 urine samples and 21 drinking water samples” from across the US and found levels in urine that were “over 10 times higher than those found in a similar survey done in the EU by Friends of the Earth Europe in 2013.”
The initial testing was completed at Microbe Inotech Labs in St. Louis.
The study organizers do not intend the results to reflect the findings of an in-depth scientific study but used them as a jumping off point to inspire federal regulatory bodies and independent scientists to do further testing.
Said Moms Across America Founder and Director Zen Honeycutt:
When I was told by several doctors and labs that I could not test my own or my children’s urine for the most widely used herbicide in the world over a year ago, I became determined to find a way. Parents and citizens deserve the ability to be able to take care of themselves and their families by finding out if herbicides could be impacting their health. The purpose of this glyphosate testing project is to shed light upon the presence of glyphosate in our water, children’s bodies and mother’s breast milk, hopefully inspiring further scientific studies to support the world in being a healthy, safe place to live.
Amazingly, Honeycutt said, the mothers tested were “mostly familiar with GMOs and glyphosate” and had been “trying to avoid GMOs and glyphosate for several months to two years.”
How do you feel about the glyphosate human tissue accumulation study? Let us know in the comments below.
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