Is there a bottle of Roundup in your garage or garden shed? If so, you’re not alone.
Roundup is the most widely used herbicide in the world and has long been touted as safe for humans and friendly to the environment. Monsanto, Roundup’s producer, went so far as to describe it as “safer than table salt” and “practically non-toxic to mammals, birds and fish.” (What does “practically” non-toxic mean, exactly?)
I am among the legions of gardeners and farmers who have relied on these claims, using the product to control poison ivy and other tenacious weeds in our yard. But research over the past decade has built an alarming case against Monsanto’s safety claims.
Last year, a report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a branch of the World Health Organization, declared Roundup “a probable human carcinogen.” The report was based on “epidemiological studies, animal studies and in vitro studies.”
Roundup first came on the market in 1974. Its active ingredient is glyphosphate, a chemical that kills plants by blocking certain proteins necessary for plant growth. It is used in more than 160 countries, and more than 1.4 billion pounds of it is applied every year.
In its first two decades, Roundup was most commonly used at smaller farms and in gardens. But its use in agriculture skyrocketed in the 1990s, when Monsanto began to genetically engineer corn, soy and cotton to be resistant to glyphosphate. This enabled farmers and agribusinesses to spray their entire crop with Roundup. In 2015, 94 percent of soy and 89 percent of both corn and cotton produced in the U.S. were genetically modified to be herbicide-tolerant.
While Monsanto has accelerated the creation of glyphosphate-resistant plants, Mother Nature is doing the same thing in her own sweet time. We now have a new generation of “super weeds” that are also resistant to Roundup.
In 2014, there were 211 weeds officially deemed herbicide resistant. To control these weeds, farmers are doubling and tripling the amount of Roundup they use.
If you suspect that this amount of herbicide in the environment might not be so benign, you’re right. It turns out there’s a host of problems associated with Roundup. Causing cancer in humans is just the beginning.
Roundup has been found harmful to a wide range of “non-target organisms,” including frogs and toads. Among other things, scientists have observed changes in tadpole development, specifically the size of tadpole tails, which are a crucial mechanism for tadpoles’ defense response to predators.
This mutagenic effect has also been found in other amphibians, reptiles and fish. Scientists also have determined that Roundup significantly reduces the biodiversity of aquatic communities. It also harms soil health and stunts the growth of certain earthworms, even at low doses.
To make matters worse, the product also contains several inert ingredients that in combination with glyphosphate have been found to cause other problems.
These and other findings have led the European Union to classify glyphosphate as “dangerous for the environment” and “toxic for aquatic organisms.”
Glyphosphate also causes indirect harm to the environment. For example, widespread use of Roundup in the Midwest to kill milkweed has all but destroyed the habitat of Monarch butterflies. The herbicide has reduced milkweed by 58 percent, at the same time causing an 81 percent decline in the Monarch population.
Some countries, including France, the Netherlands and Colombia, have banned, or are in the process of banning, glyphosphates. In the United States, the EPA has just begun a review of Roundup’s risk to human health and the environment. But bureaucratic wheels grind slowly and results are not expected until 2017, or later.
The harmful effects of Roundup should be of enormous concern to us all. Fortunately there are other ways to control weeds. Mulch helps keep down weeds and also helps retain soil moisture. You should weed early in the season when weeds are small. You can also fight weeds by encouraging rapid development of desired plants so they can fill in spaces and compete with weeds. Woven landscape fabric can also be used, especially in vegetable gardens.
There is a lot of good information about Integrated Pest Management (IPM) on the Internet. Good luck!
Pascommuck Conservation Trust of Easthampton does important work protecting land and natural resources in Easthampton for the public benefit. Among their protected sites are the Edward J. Dwyer conservation area and Pomeroy Meadows. PCT is currently working on building an accessible trail in Mutter Field in Easthampton.
PCT will hold its spring plant sale May 14 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot of Big E’s Supermarket on Union Street in Easthampton. There will be locally grown perennials and a few annuals all donated to PCT. All proceeds from the plant sale will benefit land preservation and maintenance.
For questions, call Sue Walz at 527 0885
HILLTOWN SEED
AND PLANT EXCHANGE
The Hilltown Seed Saving Network will hold its fourth annual spring seed and plant exchange May 14 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Community House in Cummington.
Find the perfect plant for your garden, or the right variety of seed for summer crops.
Bring seeds, seedlings, and perennial divisions to share.
Last year there was an abundance of both familiar and unusual plants to give away, so don’t feel you need to bring anything in order to participate. There is no scheduled programming at this event, but experienced seed savers will be on hand to answer questions.
This is also a great opportunity to meet others who are interested in seed saving and compare notes. You may drop off seeds and plants as early as 9:30 a.m.
For more information, contact Sadie Stull at 634-5013, or Michael Alterman at 458-6919 or alterman@speakeasy.net.
Trained volunteers from the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association will hold plant clinics every Saturday morning in May at the downtown Amherst Farmers Market.
Bring your gardening questions. There will be information on common pests and diseases plus how to take a soil sample. Unlike past years, the Master Gardeners will not be testing soil.
Mickey Rathbun can be reached at foxglover8@gmail.com.