Glyphosate

Rob Cooper
Blog 5
EH 2000

Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide that was fist synthesized in Switzerland in 1950 as a chemical agent that would bind to and remove heavy metals. In 1970, Monsanto discovered Glyphosate while trying to find a chemical water softener. It was only incidental that they would learn Glyphosate is a mildly effective pesticide. Since then, Glyphosate has become the most widely used pesticide of all time. The science journal Environmental Sciences Europe released report recently stating that since 1974, the United States has used 1.8 million tons of Glyphosate on her crops. The same report shows that throughout the world, 9.4 million tons has been used. In 2013, Friends of the Earth Europe cited an experiment from an independent laboratory which tested individuals from eighteen different countries for glyphosate. 44% of the test subjects’ urine tested positive for glyphosate.

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/glyphogen.html

The herbicide is engineered to be highly effective on broadleaf plants and grasses. The reason desirable crops survive the application of the herbicide is that they have been genetically modified to do so. These are called “Roundup ready crops”. The Roundup is then sprayed directly on the crops.

There is great debate in the United States and other countries around the world concerning the health effects of using Roundup on our crops. The controversy does not stem only from the use of the chemical glyphosate, but the amount of glyphosate that is to be used. Some sources report that glyphosate or Roundup is sprayed on crops multiple times, including right before harvest, which wouldn’t seem to make much sense. Whether glyphosate is a carcinogen depends on whom you ask. Unsurprisingly, Monsanto strongly disagrees that glyphosate causes cancer in humans. Perhaps less surprisingly, the Environmental Protection Agency agrees with them. Since 1983, the EPA has also relaxed its standards on what it would consider a “toxic” amount of glyphosate. Most studies done on mammals (mostly dogs and mice) show little effect on the test subjects’ health that can be attributed to glyphosate. While it can be an eye irritant in large doses, it is passed through the body largely unchanged. The only type of animal glyphosate showed even mild toxicity to is birds. Even then, the LD50 was recorded at 4,500 parts per million. One must keep in mind however that anything can be toxic or non-toxic depending on dosage.

http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/dienochlor-glyphosate/glyphosate-ext.html

On the other side of the argument, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer made a statement in March 2015 that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans”. Newsweek published a less contested study which showed that glyphosate is an endocrine disruptor and interferes with hormone production in humans.

http://www.newsweek.com/glyphosate-now-most-used-agricultural-chemical-ever-422419

Interestingly, the wide use of Roundup or glyphosate on weeds all over the world has caused the rise of Roundup-resistant weeds. Roughly half of American farmers must deal with weeds that have evolved a genetic immunity to glyphosate, and continue to grow and spread. The phenomenon occurs the same way as antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which evolve a genetic defense for antibiotics and then spread throughout the body.

The Zika Virus

Rob Cooper

Blog 2

EH 2000

Zika is a virus common to warm and tropical climates that is passed to humans mainly via the bite of the Aedes mosquito. Named for the forest where it was first documented, the virus itself was discovered seventy years ago in Uganda. Since then, outbreaks have occurred in Africa, the Pacific Islands, and Southeast Asia. The virus can also be passed sexually from one individual to another, or from a mother to her unborn baby. The symptoms of the Zika virus are common to many other diseases and include fever, muscle pain, red eyes, and headache. It is speculated that the inconspicuousness of the virus is what leads to it being spread around more easily. While people rarely die from infection, the symptoms can last for weeks. Like with most diseases, the young, the old, and the immunocompromised are at greatest risk of infection. After individuals regain their health after an infection, they receive an immunity from being infected by Zika again. At the moment, there is no treatment or cure for the Zika Virus. The best prevention methods involve protecting oneself from mosquitos in areas known for having cases of Zika, and avoiding sexual contact with individuals who have potentially contracted the virus. The risk for most individuals who contract the Zika virus is relatively low as it manifests similarly to the common flu. The largest issue is with pregnant mothers. Babies born to women who have contracted Zika often display brain and skull deformities such as microcephaly and other ailments. This has led the CDC and other governmental and travel agencies to make travel warnings, especially concerning expecting mothers advising them not to travel to areas at high risk for Aedes mosquitos, or having sexual contact with people from those regions.

https://www.cdc.gov/zika/about/overview.html

They also suggest pregnant women do not visit areas with an elevation lower than 2,000 meters above sea level as this also puts them at higher risk.

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/go/Zika.html

A man named Jason Farned who worked for the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District stated for the LA Times that the mosquito is “The deadliest creature in the world”. According to some statistics, mosquitos cause the death of more humans per year via the viruses and bacteria they carry, than any other animal. Zika happens to be just one of many viruses the mosquito threatens humans with. There is even worry of the virus coming as close to home as California, where the CDC is preparing for possible cases to occur this summer. The winter time is a natural barrier for us against mosquito-borne disease as much of the mosquito population drops during the cold months. So far no one in California has contracted the disease from a mosquito, but preemptive preparation may be the difference between an outbreak and avoiding one. The Aedes mosquito has proven to be a formidable species when it comes to controlling them. Apparently, no affected community has been able to wipe out the mosquito, and the only effective method for dealing with them has been to systematically remove all standing water the mosquito could use to reproduce. With a vaccine years down the road, communities must use any solution at their disposal to limit the spread of the Zika virus and prevent an outbreak from occurring in the future.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-zika-future-20170130-story.html