Popular weed killer deemed “probable carcinogen” by UN (glyphosate, e.g. “Roundup”)

Associated Press ^ | Mar 20, 2015 2:25 PM EDT | Maria Cheng

[Olog-hai]

One of the world’s most popular weed killers—and the most widely used kind in the U.S.—has been labeled a probable carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

The decision was made by IARC, the France-based cancer research arm of the World Health Organization, which considered the status of five insect and weed killers including glyphosate, which is used globally in industrial farming. […]

The new classification is aimed mainly at industrial use of glyphosate. Its use by home gardeners is not considered a risk. Glyphosate is in the same category of risk as things like anabolic steroids and shift work. The decision was published online Thursday in the journal, Lancet Oncology. …

[867V309]

I'll do some spot treatments later today and really pour it on once Earth Day comes around to spite the UN commies.

I celebrate earth day by turning on all my lights, needlessly running appliances and letting my SUV idle in the driveway.

[re_nortex]

Ain't Conservatism great?

[Boogieman]

Well, #1, they didn’t call it a carcinogen, just a “probable carcinogen”, which means they don’t have definitive data.

#2 - With carcinogens, like any toxins, the magnitude of exposure matters. Some carcinogens are of the level that they are harmless to adults, but a risk to children, or harmless to those exposed only intermittently, but a risk to those who are exposed daily.

[Sparticus]

Yes...it's a day I look forward to as much as MLK day. On Earth Day, along with my Tea Party next door neighbor, we turn on the heat full blast and then the AC to counteract the heat. Lights are on 24/7, both inside and outside. Every motorized tool we can find is turned on all day to get back at the Nazis and Communists behind that nonsense. I make a point to cut the grass twice that day. If I see anyone riding a bicycle on the road, they get a long beep of my horn and a rev of my truck engine when I pass them.

We have a nice bonfire of worn out tires to commemorate Erf Day.

[nascarnation]

I remember when this foolishness began when I was in college (1970)

It seemed that all those protesting air and water pollution were smokers.

Always found that a bit ironic.....

[re_nortex]

We have a nice bonfire of worn out tires to commemorate Erf Day.

The fellow across the street, a native of Nashua, NH, was long-disgusted by our form of protests against Earth Day. Over the past five years, life in Texas has slowly transformed him to Conservatism to the point that he voted for Ted Cruz, removed the silly COEXIST bumper sticker and now files the Texas flag from his front porch.

I have strong indications that he'll join us this year as we fight the communist and nazi core of Earth Day. That leftist/fascist/hippie "holiday" is deliberate disobedience to what Almighty God has commanded:

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. -- Genesis 1:28

[Organic Panic]

Where would we be without the UN doing such great and important work?

[Jeff Chandler]

I use Roundup in the alley. In areas where the dogs have access, I use vinegar, which works great, too:

1 Gallon vinegar
1 Tablespoon dish-washing liquid.

Spray liberally during a warm, sunny day.

[Idaho_Cowboy]

Earth Day. That’s the day we turn all out light and TVs on, right?

---

Nah, I always get the urge to light a bon fire of old tires on earth day.

[re_nortex]

Spray liberally during a warm, sunny day.

One of the few times when any form of liberalism is okay. :)

[Las Vegas Dave]

< humor intended >
NEWS FLASH:
Swallowing saliva causes stomach cancer, but only when done so in small amounts.
< /humor >!

http://news.yahoo.com/un-cancer-agency-iarc-sees-risk-five-pesticides-182410720.html

[Las Vegas Dave]

UN cancer agency sees a risk in Roundup and other pesticidesAFP March 20, 2015 4:12 PM Content preferences Done IARC said that three pesticides, including a commonly-used weedkiller, were "probably" carcinogenic and two others, which have already been outlawed or restricted, were "possibly" so . View gallery . Paris (AFP) - The UN's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) said Friday that three pesticides, including the popular weedkiller Roundup, were "probably" carcinogenic and two others, which have already been outlawed or restricted, were "possibly" so. IARC classified the herbicide glyphosate -- the active ingredient in Roundup -- and the insecticides malathion and diazinon as "probably carcinogenic" on the basis of "limited evidence" of cancer among humans. The insecticides tetrachlorvinphos and parathion were classified as "possibly carcinogenic" in the light of "convincing evidence" from lab animals, it said. The classification, made by an expert panel, is not binding, said IARC, an agency based in Lyon, southeastern France, that comes under the aegis of the World Health Organization (WHO). "It remains the responsibility of individual governments and other international organisations to recommend regulations, legislation or public health intervention," it said. Glyphosate -- introduced in the 1970s under the brand Roundup but now manufactured generically -- is the most-produced weedkiller in the world, the IARC said. Agricultural use of it has surged since the introduction of crops genetically modified to be resistant to the chemical, enabling farmers to douse a field in one go to kill weeds. "The general population is exposed (to glyphosate) primarily through residence near sprayed areas, home use and diet, and the level that has been observed is generally low," the IARC statement said. The evaluation of glyphosate saw "limited evidence" of a type of cancer called non-Hodgkin lymphoma, as seen in studies in the United States, Sweden and Canada conducted among farm workers since 2001. In 1985, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified glyphosate as "possibly carcinogenic for humans" on the basis of experiments on lab mice. View gallery IARC classified the herbicide glyphosate -- the active … IARC classified the herbicide glyphosate -- the active ingredient in Roundup -- as "probably ca …In 1991, though, it took another look at those experiments and changed the classification to "evidence of non-carcinogenicity" in humans. The US agribusiness giant Monsanto, which manufactures Roundup, strongly contested the IARC classification. "Each of the studies considered by IARC have been previously reviewed and considered by regulatory agencies – most recently by the German government on behalf of the European Union," it said in a press release. "Relevant, scientific data was excluded from review," it charged. "(The) IARC received and purposefully disregarded dozens of scientific studies -– specifically genetic toxicity studies –- that support the conclusion glyphosate is not a human health risk." Malathion is used in substantial volumes throughout the world, with agricultural workers being the most exposed to it, the IARC said. Diazinon production has been low and decreased further after 2006 after restrictions were placed on it in the United States and the European Union (EU). Tetrachlorvinphos is banned in the EU, but in the United States it continues to be used on livestock and pets, including in flea collars. "Parathion use has been severely restricted since the 1980s. All authorised uses were cancelled in the European Union and the USA by 2003," IARC said. - Definitions - The IARC has four categories: "carcinogenic" (group 1), "probably carcinogenic" (group 2A), "possibly carcinogenic" (group 2B), "not classifiable" (group 3) and "probably not carcinogenic to humans" (group 4). The term "limited evidence" means its experts, in a review of research, found an association between exposure to the chemical and cancer. However, chance or confounding factors cannot be ruled out, according to this definition. A summary of the assessment was published online in the journal The Lancet Oncology. Independent experts contacted by Britain's Science Media Centre (SMC) said they did not see a clear case of cancer risk for glyphosate and some queried the IARC's methodology. "There are over 60 genotoxicity studies on glyphosate with none showing results that should cause alarm relating to any likely human exposure," said Colin Berry, emeritus professor of pathology at Queen Mary University of London. "The IARC report does not raise immediate alarms," said David Coggon, a professor of environmental medicine at Britain's University of Southampton. "However, I would expect regulatory authorities around the world to take note of this new evaluation, and to consider whether it indicates a need to review their risk assessments for any of the pesticides that they currently approve."

[Las Vegas Dave]

Of possible interest to the ping list..

[xzins]

Frequency of exposure. Farmers would regularly use it at it’s greatest strength and over long periods of time and in tractor and wind conditions that prevent their escaping exposure.

[Fresh Wind]

Shift work causes cancer?

[Carthego delenda est]

“What’s different about industrial and home use? It’s either a carcinogenic or it isn’t.”

It all depends on wether the product is being used in the state of California. ;)

[Mr. K]

Rouundup is so expensive, if you want to kill everything and NOT spend $40 gallon you could use plain old gasoline- but that would be illegal so I am not advising that to anyone. But it works.

But I would never use it to kill all the stuff growing in the cracks in my driveway or in between the brickwork in my walkway (but never around a shrub or tree that you don’t want to die. )

Because that would be wrong, to do on my own property when no one was looking

[G Larry]

ya....I quit drinking it years ago...

[Wonder Warthog]

Pretty much anything that bollixes up the body’s immune system increases the likelihood of cancer. Rotating shifts has long been known to impact the immune system.

[Rodamala]

I was getting Roundup by the 2.5 gallon jug 20 years ago for $112. Mixture was 2% Roundup. Spray rate was 40-50 gallons/acre. For the 16’ swath I was spraying (railroad right-of-way) that was about 2 acres per mile of track. I set up the hi-rail boom truck with a 525 gallon ag tank and could get about 5.5 miles of coverage on one tankload.