Monsanto’s Roundup Contaminating Groundwater Supplies
Monsanto, the world leader of genetically engineered (GE) crops, has long claimed that its herbicide Roundup is safe. They have even used the following to describe Roundup:
- “Biodegradable”
- “Environmentally Friendly”
- “It’s Safer than Mowing”
Unfortunately long after hundreds of millions of pounds of the chemical have already been applied to U.S. soil, Roundup is proving to be a pervasive environmental threat, one that may already be poisoning a good portion of the world’s remaining natural water supply.
The quantity of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, in the environment has been difficult to analyze due to its physicochemical properties, such as its relatively low molecular weight and low organic solvent solubility.
However, a recent study used a magnetic particle immunoassay to test for the presence of glyphosate in roughly 140 samples of groundwater from Catalonia, Spain.
The study found that glyphosate was present above the limit of quantification in 41 percent of the samples. This indicates that, despite manufacturer’s claims, it does not break down rapidly in the environment, and is accumulating there in concerning quantities.
Groundwater, which is water from rain, lakes, streams or other bodies of water that soaks into soil and bedrock, can easily become contaminated when chemicals in the soil with low biodegradability and high mobility empty into it. When groundwater is used as a drinking water source, this contamination poses a risk to animals, plants and humans alike.
That glyphosate has been detected beyond the limit of quantification in 41 percent of groundwater samples tested reveals yet another concerning “side effect” of its rampant use: namely, that it is not biodegrading in the soil, as previously assumed by many scientists, rather, is trickling down below the soil to the groundwater, where processes of biodegradation are much slower, and the opportunity for it to accumulate to toxic levels is much greater. These findings have devastating environmental and human health implications, as glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world and is being found virtually everywhere it has been tested.
Related articles
- This Menace Killed 50% of Rats Tested – But It’s Hiding in Your Water, Air and Food (foodfreedom.wordpress.com)
- Monsanto’s Best-Selling Herbicide Roundup Linked to Infertility. (thetruthiswhere.wordpress.com)
- Monsanto’s Best-Selling Herbicide Roundup Linked to Infertility (newsworldwide.wordpress.com)
- Are Americans Going to Tolerate a Chemical Company with its Own Army of Soldiers of Fortune? (iamacitizen.wordpress.com)
