Noah Swart

Blog Topic –

 Is round up harmful?

Mr. Moss                           

Round-Up

   Is roundup harmful? That’s a complicated question, as roundup is a pesticide thus its intent is that it is harmful to the environment. Roundup is used to kill weeds and other unwanted plants and has quite the perfect record when it comes to just that, killing something. Pesticides have never had a good history with being healthy to the public, the government has had a long history with banning pesticides and other harmful toxins. With all the bureaucracy that goes into toxin bans the removal of pesticides from the market is surprising. Showing that if the government ban’s it then it must be really toxic to the public.

   Round-up is produced by the Monsanto Company which has a long history with both unethical behavior and poor health oversight. Monsanto was known for seeding and growth hormone production before their crown jewel Round-Up was made. Round-Up came on the market in the 1974 and it didn’t become a household weed killer until the late 1990’s. Its introduction was right after the DDT ban and the United States still was in the use of many worse chemicals. As strict pesticide regulations would brought about the popularity of Round-Up surged.

Toxic Crops?

   Now in the modern day Round-Up is still widely used, but evidence has started to emerge about the safety of such a chemical. Round-Up is used widely in agricultural production and even in the use as a desiccate to dry out the crops for a more fertile planting season. This means, Round-Up is used widely in the production of food in the United States, corn being the king crop in most mid-American regions. Monsanto has been found falsifying data on Round-Ups safety. It has been marketed as an environmentally friendly pesticide and Monsanto has pushed to get it used in federal and state parks.

  With all the ethically questionable trouble, Monsanto has gone through the question really presents itself, is Round-Up harmful? The answer is an easy yes. Recently a chemical called Glyphosate which is an active chemical in Round-Up has been found to be a carcinogen. This came as a surprise as Monsanto touts Round-Up as “environmentally friendly” and “biodegradable”. With the widespread use in crops all around the world. The question isn’t “is Round-Up harmful?” but just how Round-Up will affect us in the future, and if it isn’t banned quickly could it have a massive effect on the public health of the future?