IT ISN'T EASY BEING GREEN - THANKS TO OUR GOOD FRIENDS AT SYNGENTA

Birth defects and deformities in frogs have been proven in research for many years. Not only do our crops get bombarded with such weed killers, these "killers" are absorbed into the crops we eat, leached into soils, and run off into our water tables, streams and rivers. (Reuters image)


What kinds of crops need so many weed killers? Mostly the GMO crops that not only require by contract, the use of their "designer" herbicides, but studies show that the need for such "killers" is escalating year after year as target species gain resistance to them. Billions of tons of chemical fertilizers, herb/pesticides are poured into our planet every year with no real regulation. What are we doing in Copenhagen at all if the G20 does not target GMO food industries, admittedly now the largest source of greenhouse gases on Earth (U.N. Report 2009), on their agenda for complete overhaul? -Clean Food Earth Woman

Published on Monday, December 7, 2009 by Reuters
Study Finds Weed Killer Affects Frogs Sexually

OTTAWA - The widely used weed killer atrazine affects the sexual development of frogs, raising questions about the effects of its use in the environment, the University of Ottawa said on Thursday.

[The widely used weed killer atrazine affects the sexual development of frogs, raising questions about the effects of its use in the environment, the University of Ottawa said on Thursday. (Reuters image)]The widely used weed killer atrazine affects the sexual development of frogs, raising questions about the effects of its use in the environment, the University of Ottawa said on Thursday.
A study by researchers at the university found that at low levels comparable to those measured in the Canadian environment, fewer tadpoles reached the froglet stage and the ratio of females to males increased.

"Atrazine is one of the top-selling herbicides used worldwide and was designed to inhibit weed growth in cornfields," the university said in a statement.

"It is so widely used that it can be detected in many rivers, streams and in some water supplies. This has raised the alarm on the possibility of other serious detrimental environmental effects."

Syngenta AG, a major Swiss manufacturer of atrazine, has long defended its safety. The company has said it is one of the best-studied herbicides available and pointed to previous safety reviews from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and World Health Organization, among others.

The EPA said in October that it was reviewing the health impacts of the herbicide. Some studies have tied it to birth defects, low birth weight and premature babies.
Source: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/12/07-4
(Reporting by Randall Palmer; editing by Peter Galloway)