In recent years, Roundup has received a great deal of media attention, yet people still ignore the potentially hazardous weed killer.
Time and time again, new information is released revealing the possibly negative side effects of the popular herbicide made by the company Monsanto. The most shocking of these discoveries show us to what degree our lives have been integrated with the chemicals found in Roundup, some of them determined probable carcinogens by the World Health Organization.
Traces of Roundup in our cereals should not be ignored. Having eaten cereals such as Cheerios for my whole life, I am scared for what effect these chemicals will have on me and other high school teenagers my age who have been exposed to these chemicals for years. Though Cheerios and other oat cereals have been deemed “safe,” I can’t help but to think of Dwayne Johnson and others who have experienced life-threatening side effects most likely resulting from their exposure to Roundup.
Roundup is in our water, our food and our own bodies, and our government still fails to act. Regarding human health, and especially the health of young children, we should not be concerned with lowering or increasing what is considered to be the safe amount of glyphosate for people to consume, but rather, we should be focused on stopping the use of Roundup until it is deemed safe.
Readers, urge your elected officials to give a Roundup ban the attention it deserves. Let them know that we cannot wait any longer when it comes to matters of human health and safety. Taking direct action now helps to protect the health of our current population, as well as the well-being of generations to come.
Emily Grybko
Amherst