Facing billions of dollars in payouts from settlements and trials by farmers and homeowners suffering from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and with the scientific case mounting on Roundup’s risks — including ties to leukemia, kidney and liver disease, preterm birth and neurodevelopmental problems — Bayer has launched a new PR blitz to promote its beleaguered herbicide, write Stacy Malkan, Anna Lappé and Kendra Klein. A full-page ad in the Washington Post promotes the “safety and benefits” of Roundup. And a recently launched website called Modern Agriculture Alliance calls on communities to “Stand with farmers, not trial lawyers”. But let’s be clear who is standing with farmers and others impacted by glyphosate exposure: those trial lawyers are litigating on behalf of more than 100,000 people, including farmers and their families, who have suffered devastating health consequences – including death – allegedly linked to the herbicide. And they’re doing so up against a company with PR moves pulled from the pages of the tobacco industry playbook. Bayer’s latest campaign involves a state-by-state strategy to pass legislation to take away the rights of farmers and others to sue the company if they get sick with cancer — legislation that Bayer itself has helped to write. EHN

 

 

Glyphosate affects the immune response, a new study in human cells shows. It causes a potentially damaging increase in the production of reactive oxygen species in neutrophils, the immune cells which represent the body's first line of defence. Exposure to glyphosate also increased production of interleukin-8 (a molecule that serves to attract other immune cells to a site of infection) in men, raising it to that of women (50% higher), which could mean it's an endocrine disruptor. Women suffer more than men from autoimmune diseases, so glyphosate may increase this risk in men, say the researchers. Prof Martin Pelletier of Laval University's Faculty of Medicine, who led the study, draws a comparison between glyphosate and cigarettes in terms of how long it took to realise how damaging smoking is. He said, "There's a chance that your food contains glyphosate, and that glyphosate is going to have an effect on you, and it's important to know that." The study itself is here. @GMWatch on Twitter/X, translating French language article in acadienouvelle.com

 

 

Canada must start having "mature" conversations about reducing glyphosate and other pesticide use after revelations that the country's agriculture department downplayed warnings about the controversial chemical, advocates say. Last week, Canada's National Observer revealed David Cox, a former deputy director at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, had last year raised "red flags" about the federal government's failure to assess health risks posed by the controversial herbicide glyphosate, a key ingredient in Roundup, before leaving the ministry. The trove of emails were obtained through an access to information request. Lisa Gue, national policy manager for the David Suzuki Foundation, said Canada needs to have "some courage" and undertake the process of reducing pesticide risk — likely by reducing their use. Farmers need "proper support" to achieve this, she said — but so far, politicians have been reluctant to have a "mature" conversation about the problem. "There can be great reticence on the part of all politicians to suggest any type of conflict with agricultural interests," she said. Canada's National Observer

 

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