Glyphosate is the chemical agent in RoundUp, perhaps the most widely used pesticide in the world. It is now found in a huge percentage of Americans that have beentested for it, and its possible implication in degenerative nerve diseases and lymphomas is a subject of debate. Today in the New York Times, a very disturbing story of a cluster of rare cancers and neurological illnesses in New Brunswick may be leading back to the chemical.
The story, found here with a subscription (or at your local library), opens with “Doctors in Canada have identified dozens of patients with similar, unexplained symptoms — a scientific puzzle that has now become a political maelstrom.”
The symptoms that showed up in people in a small area of New Brunswick, included an incredible wide range of patients with no common thread except living in a small geographic location, a classic medical cluster. While it was not specific as a cancer cluster, it can be considered a medical cluster. Scientists have a specific definition of a cancer cluster. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) define a cancer cluster as a greater-than-expected number of cancer cases that occurs within a group of people in a defined geographic area over a specific period of time. These type of clusters were found in areas like the Love Canal back in the 70s.
This is not a small cluster. According to the Times article, “The number of undiagnosable patients currently under his care has risen to more than 430, 111 of whom are under age 45. Thirty-nine have died. ” The doctor who first identified this also noticed that, “… had noticed a pattern of new referrals peaking in the late summer and early fall, when pesticide use is at its highest, and wondered if there could be a connection.”
After having incredibly frustrating stop and start support from the Canadian government, and a number of years attempting to get to a root cause, the doctor who originally identified the cluster managed to get independent testing of many of the people suffering from it. What he found were extremely high levels of glyphosate in many of his patients.
Ninety percent of Marrero’s patients came back with elevated amounts of glyphosate in their blood, in one case as high as 15,000 times the test’s lowest detectable concentration.
This area of New Brunswick sees widespread use of Glyphosate in forestry.
The conclusion of this incredible story is that the government of Canada, after at first taking this cluster and the findings very seriously, mysteriously backed off and has done little to nothing, handing the investigation back to the province. They are now claiming that the cluster is not a cluster. Many people suspect that some kind of industry led lobbying may have stymied the investigation. The doctor who first discovered this cluster of patients is continuing to attempt to find a cause, while wondering why the federal government has given up any pursuit of a root cause to this group of his patients.
The point here is that all of us alive today in the Pacific Northwest likely have glyphosate in our bodies. Given the increasing amount of evidence, both direct and circumstantial about possible effects of glyphosate, it is worth reducing our intake of this potentially cancer causing chemical.
According to ConsumerNotice.org
Key takeaways:
- 81% of Americans have had recent exposure to glyphosate.
- The volume of glyphosate applied to crops has increased 100-fold since the late 1970s.
- The introduction of glyphosate-resistant crops in 1996 added to the exposure.
- Roundup is the most widely used herbicide in the world.
- Bayer was supposed to stop selling Roundup in 2023, citing risks to farmworkers and consumers. It has not.
- One study found glyphosate in more than 95% of the oat-based food samples.
A national health survey released in June 2022 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention observed detectable levels of glyphosate in 80% of urine samples tested.
NBC News.
According to Microsoft CoPilot: Bayer Corporation has not stopped producing Roundup (though it has been banned in some specific states, counties or towns). They continue to manufacture it while managing ongoing litigation related to its safety. Bayer has implemented a five-point plan to address and mitigate the risks associated with Roundup litigation12. This includes new formulations for the U.S. Lawn & Garden market and ongoing legal strategies to handle current and future cases1.
It is worth educating yourself on what to possibly avoid to minimize ongoing Glyphosate in your diet. Eating organic is a good start, but even some supposedly organic products have been found to have glyphosate in them. The ConsumerNotice.org article is a good start. https://www.consumernotice.org/environmental/pesticides/glyphosate-in-food/
A good overview of Glyphosate was done by NBC. https://www.nbcnews.com/data-graphics/toxic-herbicides-map-showing-high-use-state-rcna50052