Glyphosate is a wide spectrum herbicide comercialized by Monsanto since 1970 labeled as Roundup. After its patent expired in 2000, many brands produce today glyphosate labeled under many different comercial names. Recently World Health Organization (OMS) has classified glyphosate as a potentially carcinogenic product for humans.
What is glyphosate?
Glyphosate is a wide-spectrum herbicide, comercialized for first time in 1970 under the name of Roundup by Monsanto. This herbicide still is today the most sold product of Monsanto, representing 1/3 of the total sales of this company.
Talking globally, glyphosate is one more active substance of more than 750 different products used for gardening and farming - being authorized the use in Spain and 125 more countries-.
Years after Roundup emerging, Greenpeace reported that Monsanto had been developing transgenic plants - called Roundup ready- tolerant to glyphosate.
Greenpeace reported that even these plants should low the use of herbicides, it turned to an even higher use. Roundup is a wide spectrum herbicide (that kills all plants where it is applied, no matter if its "good" or "bad") that doesn't affect transgenics (modified to tolerate this compound9.
Consecuences of glyphosate for health
After many years of different organizations reports, the harmful effect of glyphosate for humans has been linked. The intense use of this compound affects millions of growing hectares, gardens and even urban grounds in cities, that are sprayed continuously to prevent against herbs appearance.
The IARC (Investigation Agency for Cancer Research) declared in 2015 glyphosate as a "probably carcinogenic for humans", classification based in a strong evidence of being carcinogenic for animals. Studies also demonstrated that glyphosate acts as an endocrine disruptor, being toxic for reproduction.
The enviromental studies done by scientifics have detected a presence of this product in air, rain, and in human body, being patent that ailment has been the main expossure to this herbicide. The study focus is main worry in farmers, their families, fetus and babies, in addition to consumers of products treated with this herbicide 8for being the most risky group.
Enviroment contamination
One of the higher, and most harmful impacts of glyphosate use is cause to the enviroment. This products affects all living beings, contaminates substrates and water.
According to the studies done, this negative impact affects aquetic organisms, but also substrate's organisms like worms, essential to fertilize substrate.
The massive use, mostly associated to transgenic growth (more resistant to this compound), has derived in increased resistance by some plants, increasing the use of other chemical products, same or even more harmful, as well as higher concentrations of them.
Non-contaminating alternatives
After many years of scientifc studies proving that certain compounds are harmful, the chemical industry has been force to investigate for new compounts. A new trending is based in organic farming. This type of farming is based in sustainable use of biologic products (of organic origin), as well as implementing ancestral techniques like fallow (growth rotations). This way an ecology balance is promoted based in diversity. At the same time, all food got using this ecologic farming are considered healthier for today and for the future.
Changes in cities
In 2015, relationed with the previous quoted study. Barcelona City Council anounced they will stop using glyphosate in 2017. This product was used to treat all type of vegetation (in streets, public gardens, and botanical gardens). Barcelona's City council has anounced a total amount of 370.000€ destined to the purchase of needed machinery for herbs control, in additional to specialized personal hide.
New phytosanitary Law
Proove of the growing worry about enviroment, and consumer's health, along passed years many products have been banned from market (products using compound even more agressive for flora and wildlife. In case of insecticides, acaricides and fungicides that, due to a worng application by users, or by agressivity of the product, have been retired or prohibited.
Nowadays there is an explicit normative applied to the phytosanitary sales, that forces seller to notify not only who is purchasing the product, also it forces to tell where it will be used. In addition, buyer should present his license of authorized phytosanitary applier, wich identifies him as a professional applier.
In paralel it's been decided to identify products with the JED (certification for Outdoor Gardening Use) for products that could be used by any person, without needing a professional license.
At SantYerbasi we like to compromize with enviroment friendly techniques, so from here we would like to recommend all our readers the use of biological products to combat pests. Their efficiency has been prooved for pest control and extermination. This is not the only reason to use those, they can also be used along the whole cycle (vegetation stage and flowering phase), with a security term of 7-10 days before harvesting.
We do recommend reading our previous post abour how to apply phytosanitary products, in wich we explain not only how to apply products, we also tell tips to improve the effectivity of each application.
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