John, some of the action page links in this email temporarily weren't working.
If you tried to take action and ran into an error -- or if you just haven't had the chance yet! -- please take a moment now to tell your governor to ban glyphosate unless and until it's proven safe.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: U.S. PIRG <[email protected]>
Date: Friday, August 23, 2024
Subject: Add your name: Roundup is too risky
To: John xxxxxx <[email protected]>
 |
John,
Thousands of people facing debilitating and life-threatening illnesses have sued Bayer, the maker of Roundup, over alleged carcinogenic effects of glyphosate, the main ingredient in the commercial version of the weedkiller.1
But despite the significant health concerns, glyphosate remains in use in several formulations of Roundup and other generic versions of the herbicide, continuing to put our health at risk. There are better ways to get rid of a few pesky weeds.
Your governor can make a difference by banning glyphosate in your state. Send a message today.
The health risks of glyphosate have been known for almost a decade.
The World Health Organization announced that the chemical might cause cancer in 2015.2 In 2017, the state of California listed glyphosate as a "known carcinogen."3 Then in 2019, a federal jury unanimously agreed that Roundup was a "substantial factor" in causing a man's cancer.4
Last year, Bayer reformulated lawn-and-garden versions of Roundup to exclude glyphosate. But nearly a decade after the world learned that glyphosate poses potentially significant health risks, Bayer has still not reformulated its agricultural Roundup to be glyphosate-free.
And now, instead of making its product safer, Bayer is putting its time and resources into lobbying Congress to avoid accountability for the harm Roundup has caused.5
The reformulation of residential Roundup was a win, but the risks to our health are still present.
Even if glyphosate-containing Roundup isn't sitting in our garages, the old, more highly toxic Roundup is still being used on farms and fields.
And exposure doesn't just come from spraying Roundup. "Roundup-Ready" food crops like soy, corn and beets can still have toxic glyphosate residues on them by the time they get to our plates.6
Exposure to glyphosate can be especially dangerous for children. Early contact with the chemical can result in liver inflammation and metabolic disorder in early adulthood, which could lead to liver cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life.7
The risks aren't worth it, not when there are better, safer ways to get rid of weeds.
Join us in urging your governor to ban glyphosate until we know for sure that it's safe to use.
Thank you,
Faye Park
President
1. Mari Gaines, "Roundup Lawsuit Update July 2023," Forbes, February 2, 2024.
2. "IARC Monograph on Glyphosate," The World Health Organization, July 19, 2018.
3. "Glyphosate Listed Effective July 7, 2017, as Known to the State of California to Cause Cancer," OEHHA, June 26, 2017.
4. Mihir Zaveri, "Monsanto Weedkiller Roundup Was 'Substantial Factor' in Causing Man's Cancer, Jury Says," The New York Times, March 19, 2019.
5. Tony Romm, "Bayer lobbies Congress to help fight lawsuits tying Roundup to cancer," The Washington Post, June 20, 2024.
6. Anthony Samsel and Stephanie Seneff, "Glyphosate, pathways to modern diseases III: Manganese, neurological diseases, and associated pathologies," The National Library of Medicine, March 24, 2015.
7. Sheila Kaplan, "Childhood exposure to common herbicide may increase the risk of disease in young adulthood," Berkeley Public Health, March 1, 2023.
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