10/September/20

 

Alina Chan, a scientist at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, has caused controversy by publishing a scientific paper pointing out reasons why SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, could well have escaped from a lab. Chan argues that the virus was already perfectly adapted for human infectivity when it first appeared in Wuhan, China. This would not have been the case if the virus had jumped from animals, as it would have had to go through stages of evolution to become as efficient at infecting humans as it clearly is. Thus it is possible that the virus was trained to infect humans during lab experimentation and escaped. Chan says that scientists who share her view are censoring themselves – but she believes this to a route to losing public trust. [GMW: This article is well worth reading in full, including its account of how Chan used Twitter to demolish the arguments of Peter Daszak of the EcoHealth Alliance. Daszak is a leading proponent of the "natural origin" theory of SARS-CoV-2.] Boston Magazine

 

 

As Colombia prepares to restart its aerial fumigation program, the global Center for Reproductive Rights and its local partners at the Colombia-based Universidad del Valle have published a research report showing that the herbicide used in the program has negative effects on people’s reproductive health. Using the findings from their study, the partners have called on the Colombian government to stop the fumigation program from moving forward. The new Spanish-language report is based on a comprehensive scientific study conducted by the Universidad del Valle and supported by the Center. According to this research, the controversial herbicide, glyphosate — which is sprayed over coca fields to eradicate cocaine production — can cause harmful effects on fertility. Glyphosate has also been linked to miscarriages and problems with pregnancy. Sustainable Pulse

 

 

Toxic pesticides banned for use in the UK are being exported to countries with less stringent regulations, under loopholes in international trade rules. Two companies, Syngenta and Ineos, are exporting from UK facilities large quantities of pesticides based on chemicals that would be illegal for use in the EU, according to documents obtained by Greenpeace UK’s Unearthed investigation and the Swiss NGO Public Eye, in freedom of information requests. Export notification data for 2018 showed Syngenta planned to ship more than 28,000 tonnes of pesticide containing paraquat, which was banned for use in the UK in 2007. Paraquat, which is fatal at small doses if ingested, can damage the lungs, eyes, kidneys and heart through long-term exposure. The Guardian