Because of the heavy media attention centered on Roundup lawsuits, glyphosate is arguably the most well-known pesticide. The main active ingredient in Roundup weed and grass killer, glyphosate is the world’s most heavily-sprayed weed-abatement chemical. Not only is it used to kill pesky weeds that would otherwise overtake food crop plants, glyphosate is sprayed on oats and other crops to dry them out so they can be more quickly and efficiently harvested.
Glyphosate is linked to cancer by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as well as scientists in the employ of the state of California. Over 125,000 people have sued the inventor of Roundup, the Monsanto Corporation. (In 2018, Monsanto was acquired for $63 billion by the pharmaceutical company, Bayer AG.) Plaintiffs—mostly farmers and farmworkers, home gardeners and landscapers—allege that glyphosate is at least partly culpable for the development of rare types of cancers, most notably, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL).
To date, Bayer has settled approximately 90,000 lawsuits for nearly $11 billion, and will pay an additional $2 billion to resolve future lawsuits. But as part of the settlement deal, Bayer/Monsanto has not admitted to any wrongdoing and maintains that glyphosate poses no health risk to humans.
Despite the notariety glyphosate has received because of the lawsuits, according to an article co-written by Colin O’Neil, the Legislative Director of the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and Alexis Temkin, Ph.D., a toxicologist, there are 10 other pesticides that should be heavily restricted or banned.
Will A Change In A Presidential Administration Protect Children’s Health?
O’Neil’s article on the EWG website says, “No presidential administration was as damaging to children’s health as Donald Trump’s.”
Under Trump’s administration, O’Neil suggests that the Environmental Protection Agency failed to protect children’s health because the agency reversed policies implemented under the Obama administration that restricted or banned toxic pesticides.
Thus, O’Neil writes, the new Biden administration has “a mountain of work to do to reverse the damage done by the Trump administration.” O’Neill suggests the Biden administration should begin by taking swift action to ban and restrict the toxic pesticides the Trump administration allowed in agriculture and on food.
10 Pesticides That The Biden Administration Should Ban
- Chlorpyrifos
An organophosphate that causes neurotoxicity, including harm to brain development and impairs children’s IQ. Banned by the European Union (EU), California, New York and Hawaii. - Dacthal/DCPA
Not approved in the European Union, research links it to cancer and thyroid disruption. - 2,4-D
Mostly used on genetically-modified crops, the alarming thing about this pesticide is it’s not tested by the US Dep’t of Agriculture. Currently banned in Norway, Vietnam and Mozambique. - Dicamba
Causes drift damage to adjacent crops. Developed because weeds have become more resistant to glyphosate. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) determined that use of dicamba can increase the risk of developing numerous cancers, including liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancers, acute and chronic lymphocytic leukemia and mantle cell lymphoma.
- Atrazine
Banned in 31 countries, including all EU members. All triazine-type pesticides pose a health risk, according to EWG. Associated with increased cancer risk. - Imazalil
Commonly sprayed on citrus; the EU is considering banning it. - Iprodione
Not approved by the EU, and its use is restricted in Canada. Health concerns include cancer and reproductive harm. - Paraquat
Health concerns, says EWG, include neurotoxicity, especially Parkinson’s disease; in children it may cause harm to the developing brain. Not approved for use in the EU, this pesticide is also not tested by the USDA. - Aldicarb
Banned in 103 countries, but not the US. - PFAS
The chemical that prevents fast-food wrappers from becoming greasy. Stays in your body forever. Low birth weight, cancer, endocrine disruption and weakened childhood immunity.
For a full report on these pesticides, including which foods are frequently sprayed with them, visit the original post here.
