Glyphosate spray - Council still poisoning us

Despite growing international evidence that glyphosate sprays are linked to cancers, birth defects, major gut problems and death, Mayor Len Brown calls the opposition by hundreds of locals “an emotional issue.”

A number of people who have battled chronic illnesses joined the Spray Free Streets group who presented a letter requesting that all Auckland councillors, local board members and all candidates for election this year respond to the letter and let the public know where they stand on the issue of chemical vegetation control.

Ponsonby News has written on this issue before, but while the council continues to poison Aucklanders, we will persist in opposing the use of glyphosate products - usually Roundup.

In the United States particularly, the genetic engineering of staple crops such as soy to be resistant to glyphosate allows the stuff to be sprayed around in huge quantities. Grain crops are often sprayed again to facilitate harvest, in the practice known as 'brown down'. So-called super weeds have emerged requiring super doses. Claims that it is biodegradable are countered by others claiming it has a half-life in soil of between 10 and 25 years. As well, a growing list of illnesses is being attributed to glyphosate.

Giant corporate Monsanto has been producing the glyphosate product Roundup since 1974. Last year it sold $4.8 billion worth, but it is being increasingly banned around the world as its deadly nature becomes better known.

Countries including Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Bermuda, Columbia and France have recently banned its use. A number of states in the United States have banned it, including California. However, Monsanto has sued California and is fighting the ban.

In the United States glyphosate is found in rivers, streams, and groundwater. It has been found in food, the urine of exposed persons, and in the urine of urban dwellers without direct contact with glyphosate. Concern in the United States extends to accusations that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been got at by Monsanto and is now, according to reliable organisation Sustainable Pulse, “again working against public health protection.” There is suspicion that New Zealand’s EPA is similarly compromised.

Scientists have been documenting the health consequences of exposure to glyphosates for more than 20 years, in our food, in the water we drink, in the air we breathe, and where our children play - roadsides, playgrounds, golf courses, school yards, lawns and home gardens.

These scientists have found an alarming number of health problems which they can attribute to glyphosate. These include: ADHD, Alzheimer's, birth defects, autism, brain cancer, breast and other cancers, celiac disease and gluten intolerance, chronic kidney disease, colitis and the list goes on. A number of illnesses often attributed to recent Western diets have been identified by scientists as being caused or at least exacerbated by glyphosate intake.

Glyphosate disrupts chemical processes that impact on the production of serotonin. Serotonin impairment is linked to depression. Very low doses of Roundup can disrupt human liver function, while diabetes, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, and obesity have all been linked to glyphosates.

Ponsonby News is unaware whether Mayor Brown and all 20 councillors have read any of this damning scientific evidence on the use of glyphosate, and if not, why not?

It is a dereliction of duty to play Russian roulette with Aucklanders' lives, mainly because of fear of retribution from international bully, Monsanto. We’ve taken on the tobacco companies with promises of plain packaging, so why are we scared to take on Monsanto?

If the TTP agreement is finally ratified, Monsanto may be able to sue New Zealand if we refuse to use their genetically modified organisms and their poisonous herbicide Roundup. Let’s ban it now before it’s too late. (JOHN ELLIOTT)