15/April/21

 

Consumption of a mixture of pesticides commonly found in foods in the EU, when tested at levels deemed safe by regulators, has been revealed to cause ill health effects that are completely missed by the standard safety tests required for regulatory assessments, a new study shows. The study implies that the pesticide regulatory system, which relies on toxicity tests done by manufacturers to decades-old designs, is unsafe by design. The researchers applied in-depth molecular analytical techniques called "omics" to search for subtle changes that could predict the development of disease. The results showed that the low-dose mixture of pesticides tested caused changes in the metabolites of the gut and blood, with consequences to liver function, with the whole picture being suggestive of an oxidative stress response. Oxidative stress is an imbalance in the body that can lead to conditions such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, DNA damage, and cancer. GMWatch

 

 

Jenica Atwin, Member of Parliament for Fredericton, tabled her first private members bill to ban the use of the herbicide glyphosate in Canada. “Canadians have the right to breathe clean air, drink safe water, and harvest healthy foods from the land,” said Atwin. “Rather than allowing toxic chemicals to be sprayed in Canada until they are proven harmful, we should be exercising greater precaution: banning products until they can be deemed safe.” The bill, seconded by Green member for Nanaimo-Ladysmith Paul Manly, builds on a growing global consensus in keeping with the recommendations of the International Agency for Research on Cancer that have deemed glyphosate a probable carcinogen. Jenica Atwin's website jenicafredericton.ca