Local councils still using weed killer glyphosate despite WHO warning it 'probably causes cancer'

[Change]

Local councils still using weed killer glyphosate despite WHO warning it 'probably causes cancer'

 

By the National Reporting Team's Josie Taylor

 

Updated 21 minutes ago

 

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-16/councils-still-using-herbicide-that-probably-causes-cancer/7168464

 

 

Councils across Australia are using the weed killer glyphosate in sensitive areas like playgrounds, despite a World Health Organisation (WHO) warning the chemical probably causes cancer.

 

Glyphosate was originally trade marked as "Roundup" and is commonly used by households, farms and local councils.

 

Last year, the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) upgraded its assessment of the common herbicide from "possibly" to "probably carcinogenic to humans," placing it in the same category as red meat.

 

The IARC found limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, mostly in agricultural workers.

 

The Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicine Authority (APVMA) and the Federal Department of Health are now re-assessing the risks it presents to humans.

 

APVMA told the ABC it expected that investigation to be finalised in May or June.

 

In a statement it said: "It is important to note that the hazard assessment conducted by IARC was not a complete regulatory risk assessment".

 

"The APVMA, along with regulators in other countries, consider that current labels for glyphosate products contain appropriate instructions for use to keep those regularly handling glyphosate safe."

 

The authority said about 50 per cent of its $33 million budget came from levies that companies paid to have their product registered in Australia, determined by the quantity of sales.

 

Glyphosate products contribute $1.5 million.

 

APVMA said there was no conflict of interest in investigating a product that contributed to its budget.

 

"The existence of levies and or application fees paid by companies are not relevant or taken into consideration when the APVMA looks at the scientific basis of any review activity," it said.

 

The industry body for agricultural chemicals, CropLife Australia, said it had not, and would not be making contact with the regulator regarding its re-assessment of glyphosate.

 

But chief executive Matthew Cossey said CropLife's members had regular contact with the APVMA.

 

"Of course they have to go through full assessment periods with them. The process of bringing a new product to market takes years," Mr Cossey said.

 

"From an industry perspective, would we like government to fund the regulator? Absolutely."

 

Mr Cossey reiterated that the industry believed glyphosate was completely safe, and said the vast body of research supported that.

 

Countries including the Netherlands, Sri Lanka, and El Salvador have started banning glyphosate.

Locals push for glyphosate ban

 

Residents in Castlemaine and Bendigo in Central Victoria have petitioned their local councils to stop using glyphosate-based pesticides.

 

"I have two kids, four and seven and I don't want them to have Roundup or any kind of glyphosate sprayed around their school, and I know it is," Bendigo resident Jacky Vincent said.

 

Until Australian authorities change their assessment, local councils can continue to use the weed killer around schools, parks, and playgrounds and are not obliged to tell the public when and where they are spraying.

 

Work Safe Victoria issued a statement to the ABC saying it was preparing new advice for councils about using glyphosate.

 

"WorkSafe believes it is appropriate to alert Victorian employers to the issue. It will shortly issue guidance material advising employers of its reclassification," the WorkSafe statement said.

Councils urged to consider other weed killing options

 

New South Wales insurance body State Cover warned local councils to investigate other options to control weeds.

 

"It is recommended that councils take a cautious approach and investigate their use of glyphosate and other hazardous chemicals used for weed control," State Cover told local NSW councils in a fact sheet.

 

Public safety lawyer Dimi Ioannou from Maurice Blackburn said council workers could potentially sue their employers in the future if they developed a significant injury as a result of handling the product.

 

"In the past we have ignored signs where products have been a dangerous good, such as asbestos, and years later thousands of victims have potentially made a claim for their pain and suffering," Ms Ioannou said.

 

Yarra City Council in Melbourne is one of several councils around the country to trial alternative methods of killing weeds.

 

Councillor Roberto Colanzi said using steam has proved to be more effective than herbicides.

 

"Per unit cost it's probably more expensive but we tend to undertake the steam cleaning every six weeks rather than every four so that's an economic benefit, it seems to reduce the weed regrowth so that's an economic benefit," Cr Colanzi said.

 

Tim Farrell is the CEO of Weedsteamers, a company local councils contract to steam weeds.

 

Mr Farrell said there were about 30 local councils around the country, out of 560 councils in total, who were trialling or regularly using weed steaming in some areas.

 

He admitted it was a slightly more expensive method than pesticide.

 

"About the same as a cup of coffee and a cake. Per head, per annum. I think we can probably stretch to that as a community. And as a society, I don't think we have a choice to ignore it any longer," Mr Farrell said.

 

On February 9, Mount Alexander Shire Council rejected a petition from Castlemaine residents calling for an end to glyphosate use.

 

In a statement the council said: "Steam was trialled for weed control in 2014 but was not considered to be economically viable."

 

The council said it had trialled a "plant-derived weed control product" last year but it was more expensive and less effective than glyphosate.

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

That weedsteaming looks great, I reckon he stands to make a killing with it

[Sallubrious]

My council regularly sprays weeds surrounding the water catchment area with roundup. They spray right up to the edge of the dam and I've watched overspray going into the water. They also regularly spray all the open drains that surround the dam and feed directly into it.

Roundup is toxic to marine life and shouldn't be sprayed in areas like that, but my council couldn't give a shit.

The MSDS toxicology information just lists glyphosate but there is also other nasty shit in it they don't list. The toxicology reports should be done on the actual mixture used in roundup, not just the glyphosate. Without testing the actual product the toxicology information is borderline fraudulent in my view.

[Strontium Dawg]

"in the same category as red meat"... Interesting comparison.

[-RC-]

... was going to say something else, but then I took a moment, got a bowl sorted out and then wrote

"Is that so?"

[ThunderIdeal]

That designation is near meaningless.

[Alice]

Does anyone know of any affordable weed steamers for home use? I've done a bit of a google search and the commercial steamers are pretty big, and pricey. Do home units exist? Is it even possible for say a battery powered unit to generate steam? Water has a very high specific heat capacity. Maybe a small propane-powered unit.

I never really considered glyphosate to be much danger considering that it works by inhibiting the synthesis of amino acids that humans don't actually synthesise, but rather get from food. So there shouldn't be a target, not that it means that there are not other dangers outside it's primary mode of action. The "probably causes cancer" doesn't really put me off since a lot of things we interact with are in this category (alcohol and bacon as two examples) and as long as the exposure is not excessive, the risks (while still very real) are minimised a great deal. I imagine most people would consider an occasional serve of bacon as worth the risk! Having said that, if a reasonable alternative to glyphosate exists in the form of steam weeding or other non-chemical means, I'm all for it.

[ThunderIdeal]

So what actually survives in a patch of steamed soil? People are quick to hate on chemicals but steam treating a square meter of weeds probably kills hundreds of tiny animals.

I don't know anything about it but shooting steam around is friendly to nature? Doubtful.

Edited February 16, 2016 by ThunderIdeal

[wert]

Are they talking about dyed fish or chicken?

I don't get it?

[☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ]

glyph is found in the breastmilk of women who have no direct known contact with it and the councils in uk use a lot of it all year round , its fkn disgusting ... they should be gunned down in cold blood just for thinking about continuation of glyph use...

also seems to be a favourite thing of brit baby boomer's to hide it in your belongings after you tell them it's carcinogenic

-if my old bag is anything to go by... and the previous owner of my kitteh too..

Edited February 16, 2016 by ☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ

[☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ]

steam sounds nice and uncarcinogeny to me , should a small garden plot need clearing pre-veg patchery..

(main use of glyph in uk as far as the last 20 [hmm maybe 15] yrs observation taught)

there's advantages to keeping weeds though :3 , well some...

plantains should stay for sure..

councils should be egg n floured or else-wise shamed , maybe tar n feathers?...

anybody tried bleach+ boiling water ? {aye maybe for the council too but]- worked wonders on the old bag's patio the last 4 yrs..

Edited February 16, 2016 by ☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ

[ghosty]

ah croplife.. (killlife).

a company that has caused death, health issues and retardation right around the world. very much so in the america's.

We can see they are already coming up with bullshit to feed the people. A 1.5 million dollar industry, well, thats worth more than the lives of people isnt it??

with outright lies such as this ""The existence of levies and or application fees paid by companies are not relevant or taken into consideration when the APVMA looks at the scientific basis of any review activity," it said."

NOTHING is going to change. at all. ever. not here at least. they are already downgrading the dangers with this stuff to justify it's continued use. Naturally, the medical boards will be working to cover up / displace those harmed by this stuff. "no evidence to suggest serious illness XYZ caused by products XYZ." etc etc. seen it all before. almost every week for my whole life.

hmm, might be time to put together a "tv documentary" to help people understand that this stuff, despite peoples concerns, and mounting genuine evidence to the contrary is "safe" to use. we will have to wait till xmass though to ensure most will be so head-fark'd from celebrational drinks, that they will be more likely to believe it.

[Change]

 

[Change]

JOINT FAO/WHO MEETING ON PESTICIDE RESIDUES Geneva, 9–13 May 2016 SUMMARY REPORT Issued 16 May 2016

 

The Meeting concluded that glyphosate is unlikely to be genotoxic at anticipated dietary exposures. Several carcinogenicity studies in mice and rats are available. The Meeting concluded that glyphosate is not carcinogenic in rats but could not exclude the possibility that it is carcinogenic in mice at very high doses. In view of the absence of carcinogenic potential in rodents at human-relevant doses and the absence of genotoxicity by the oral route in mammals, and considering the epidemiological evidence from occupational exposures, the Meeting concluded that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk to humans from exposure through the diet.

 

http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/agphome/documents/Pests_Pesticides/JMPR/2016_JMPR_Summary_Special.pdf

[liberta]

I once saw a bunch of council workers spraying this all over a children's playground. Sad, sad world we live in.

[Distracted]

8 hours ago, liberta said:

I once saw a bunch of council workers spraying this all over a children's playground. Sad, sad world we live in.

 

 

We don't want kids growing too big, no-one likes a tall poppy.

Edited June 26, 2016 by Distracted

[ThunderIdeal]

Bits and pieces have been coming out about monsantos roundup research. Leaked emails and such.  Here is some of the latest.  

 

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/08/01/business/monsantos-sway-over-research-is-seen-in-disclosed-emails.html

 

I havent really read it but seems to hinge on glyphosate being tested in isolation rather than as the commercial formulation which has a surfactant.

 

Curiously, since my earliest days as a professional gardener and posting here this has been a common anecdote "farkenn, they put a bit more in the brew than just glyohosate, furrgenn"

Edited August 3, 2017 by ThunderIdeal

[waterboy 2.0]

I still chuckle at when I was a pup I was told it was safe enough to drink, still treated it like Phosdrin (and worse) though

Edited August 3, 2017 by waterboy 2.0

[☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ]

I'm coming to the conclusion the local council have been very silent about anything at all of any meaning on the subject but appear (from watching since last summer) to have withdrawn it's use (at least round here)

...if the black nightshades are anything to go by - unless they have adapted an immunity of sorts -

...they used to be slain off along with the tell-tale death brown lining every path pavement road and street which also appears to be vacant... 

 

still don't trust harvesting any ...

[ThunderIdeal]

If your council has stopped spraying roundup that means they cant afford to pay somebody to spray it, or theyre too disorganised to make sure the guy theyre paying is actually doing his job.

 

Amenity horticulturists will be using roundup everywhere until something better comes along and i dont think thats a bad thing.

 

The concern seems to be with its role in food production? Particularly where vast amounts are used.

 

 

[☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ]

fair angle mate ,

the fear of reading that it finds it's way into breast milk makes me wonder if its being breathed in or from being close to residential areas ...