OT: California says key ingredient in Roundup weed killer can cause cancer

Mr Pounder Esquire posted

They're relying on the International Agency for Research on Cancer assessment:

"For the herbicide glyphosate, there was limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The evidence in humans is from studies of exposures, mostly agricultural, in the USA, Canada, and Sweden published since 2001. In addition, there is convincing evidence that glyphosate also can cause cancer in laboratory animals. On the basis of tumours in mice, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) originally classified glyphosate as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group C) in 1985. After a re-evaluation of that mouse study, the US EPA changed its classification to evidence of non-carcinogenicity in humans (Group E) in 1991."

Glyphosate is about as harmless to humans as it's possible to get. It's been so widely used for so long that any significant carcinogenic effect would have shown up clearly long ago.

In vivo tests are completely irrelevant. You force a mouse to swim in a concentrated solution of the compound for six weeks and when he catches a nasty cold you say it's carcinogenic.

Your point is what exactly? That Californians are hypochondriacs.

So does unleaded petrol with near certainty by containing 1-5% benzene.

The study that declared glyphosate carcinogenic was very flawed. I am no fan of Monsanto but in this instance the active ingredient glyphosate is much less of a toxicity worry than the surfactants used in the commercial weedkiller formulations like RoundUp (I prefer other generic glyphosate products to avoid putting any money into Monsanto's coffers).

My point is that I posted the link as I thought that it may be of interest to gardeners. Don't shoot the messenger.

Not sure why it's of relevance to uk.d-i-y but thanks for posting it.

The Proposition 65 list

Well lots of things can cause cancer if consumed in large quantities, so one starts playing around wityh figures Somebody once told me that the radiation from rocks and space are probably why we had to evolve to reproduce the way we do to mitigate damage to the dna due to it. What next everyone lives and works inside a lead box? Brian

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) said today (15 March) that much-discussed glyphosate weed killer should not be classified as a carcinogen

It happens that Martin Brown formulated :

Any recommendations for good, cheap generic offerings please?

We should ignore that as the EU is bad and we must ban glyphosate based products now!

More hysteria from Californian loons. There are reasons to object to glyphosate, but that is a completely damn-fool one. The risk is way down in the noise, and there are a zillion far more important causes of cancer, like processed meats, grilled/barbequed/roasted meats, many spices, caffeine, alcohol and televisions.

Regards, Nick Maclaren.

Search for "Rosate 360" on ebay ...

I used it to kill the rest of my lawn before returfing.

I thought it wasn't working (I used the weaker recommended dilution), but after 2 weeks it all went brown.

Simon.

Thanks!

Check the ingredients on generic glyphosate versions in the sheds or the functional equivalents by former ICI now Syngenta. You want to buy the most percentage of the active ingredient for the least price.

Beware also that "Roundup" now seems to include formulations that are not just glyphosate based. Bit of a mess really.

Obviously do not buy the vastly overpriced convenience prediluted stuff.

A bit weaker is often more effective, as it allows the glyphosate to spread further through the plant before finally killing it, thereby ensuring a more complete kill eventually. Some people expect the plant to die before their eyes, and are disappointed when it doesn't.

Well this is true. Mind you, there are DNA repair mechanisms at work in cells also. But life has always been exposed to radiation and has indeed had to adapt to survive.

Seconded. Bought some following a recommendation here, and it just works. Not instant by any means, but just left to get on with it, it does.

It surprises me that the LNT theory for establishing radiation exposure criteria should still be used. Life, and by that I mean the very earliest life forms, has been around for thousands of millions of years. Over that time it has evolved mechanisms to defend itself against all sorts of attacks such as viral and bacterial. I find quite untenable the idea that it should not have evolved mechanisms to deal with low levels of radiation in the same way, as radiation has been around for even longer.

It's still around as it suits the greenies and dupes like harry to believe it. Then you can "justify" limitless expenditure on nuclear "protection".

Graeme formulated on Friday :

I'll order a gallon, once back home to accept delivery. I ran out of weed killer a few weeks ago and I have been unhurredly looking at buying some more, with out paying £14 for the dilute ready to spray versions.

LEAD! No, bloody poisonous.