The poison of greed

It is garden season, which is a passion close to my heart.

I find myself cringing in horror whenever I see Roundup weed killer marketed by Monsanto/Bayer lining store shelves in Spokane and around the country. I recently read in Living Maxwell, an organization that supports organic and healthy food sources, that 250 million pounds of Roundup are sprayed each year. Research is showing that many products that we eat now contain glyphosate absorbed from the weed killer.

According to the article it states that 0.1 ppb (parts per billion) has been shown to destroy gut bacteria which is vital to our immune systems. Also it stated a watchdog group called Moms Across America had the new product the Impossible Burger – which uses GMO soybeans sprayed with Roundup as one of ingredients – independently tested for glyphosate by the Health Research Institute. The results show that glyphosate and its metabolite came in at 11.3 ppb. There have been three lawsuits won against Monsanto/Bayer’s Roundup by persons getting non-Hodgkin lymphoma from exposure to continued use of Roundup. Several thousand more cases are pending.

In 1962, Rachel Carson, a marine biologist and environmentalist, wrote the book “Silent Spring” to warn us about DDT (another Monsanto product) destroying wildlife and causing the bald eagle and osprey, among others, to be placed on the endangered species list. DDT was banned in 1972. Ten years later! France has currently has banned Roundup being used in their country. Why is America allowing itself to be poisoned by a greedy, non-caring company?

Janet C. Smith

Spokane