Eucalyptus trees being harvested for pulp by Suzano employee. Photo: Orin Langelle, Langelle Photography
Note: Glyphosate is the chemical found in the commonly used pesticide Roundup. The Campaign to STOP GE Trees is working to stop Suzano’s glyphosate-tolerant GE Eucalyptus trees in Brazil.
A new paper Glyphosate and Fluoride in High-Hardness Drinking Water Are Positively Associated with Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (CKDu) in Sri Lanka, published on September 13, 2023 in Environmental Science and Technology Letters, has linked glyphosate to kidney disease.
An important piece of this paper that is Glyphosate binds to heavy metals in hard water, turning a chemical of relatively low toxicity and low persistence into a stable complex that is much more toxic and very persistent. The impacts of glyphosate on human health risks are profound and have arguably been largely ignored by regulatory authorities and the scientific community since glyphosates introduction in 1974. Claims that Roundup is ‘biodegradable”, “safe” and “non-toxic” come into serious question when glyphosate binds to heavy metals.
The paper can be read in full here.
Additional Resources: Watch the Monsanto Papers Documentary