 |
Anonymous,
Germany and France have banned it.1 Miami, Austin and Seattle have restricted it. Together, we can ban Monsanto's toxic weed killer Roundup in your state next.
Make your year-end gift today to help us work to ban Roundup in your state, and support all of our work to stand up for the public interest in state capitals and in Washington, D.C.
In 2015, the World Health Organization deemed glyphosate -- the main chemical ingredient in Roundup -- a "probable human carcinogen."2
It's common sense that we should be cautious when it comes to allowing potentially toxic chemicals to become a part of our everyday lives.
Monsanto hasn't been transparent about the potential health effects of Roundup.3 And the Environmental Protection Agency and other decision-makers have taken Monsanto at its word that Roundup is "safe," and are continuing to allow millions of pounds of Roundup to be sprayed every year on crops, lawns, schools and playgrounds, putting our health at risk.4
The good news is we know the tide is changing on this issue: Juries have ruled three times in the last year that there is enough evidence to hold Monsanto's Roundup culpable in causing someone's cancer -- reinforcing the need for action.5 More than 42,700 farmers, landscapers and home gardeners have filed similar lawsuits claiming the company knew the herbicide posed a cancer risk but failed to warn consumers.6
There is now a growing list of U.S. cities that have issued bans or significant restrictions on Roundup and other glyphosate-based herbicides.7 But Roundup is still putting our health at risk, and more needs to be done.
We know we can ban Roundup in states across the country. But only if we have strong support from people like you. Make a donation today to help us reach our year-end goal of $100,000 so we can fund our efforts on this campaign and all of our other work.
Here's how I know we can do it:
- It's going to take a big nationwide effort to ban Roundup -- and our national network is built for the job. Our staff helps coordinate local, city and state action -- and we share decades of experience of working to protect public health from toxic threats.
- Together with our national network, we successfully helped defend a ban on cosmetic lawn pesticides earlier this year in Montgomery County, Maryland, from the pesticide industry's efforts to overrule it.8
- Our national network has gone door to door in more than 16 states across the country to educate the public and build the support we need to win.
- We're shining a spotlight on the dangers of Roundup in the media and online, speaking out in states across the country. We're also partnering with U.S. PIRG Education Fund to research and release hard-hitting reports that expose the risks of Roundup.
If we are successful in banning the use of Roundup in states across the country, our ban could protect the health of millions of people in the U.S. and set the stage for larger national action by the EPA.
Of course, we're still working to stand up for consumer protections, to transform our transportation system, to save our antibiotics, and more. But right now, we're ready to put more resources into our campaign in 2020 to finally get Roundup out of our communities.
Thank you for your support,
Faye Park
President
1. Agence France-Presse, "Germany to ban use of glyphosate weedkiller by end of 2023," The Guardian, September 4, 2019.
2. Guyton, Mattock and Straif, "Carcinogenicity of Tetrachlorvinphos, Parathion, Malathion, Diazinon, and Glyphosate," The Lancet, March 20, 2015.
3. Carey Gilliam, "How Monsanto manipulates journalists and academics," The Guardian, June 2, 2019.
4. Charles Benbrook, "Trends in glyphosate herbicide use in the United States and globally," Environmental Sciences Europe, February 2, 2016.
5. Andrew Blankstein and Adiel Kaplan, "California jury hits Monsanto with $2 billion judgment in cancer lawsuit," NBC News, May 13, 2019.
6. Ludwig Burger and Patricia Weiss, "Bayer says U.S. glyphosate plaintiffs more than double since July," Reuters, October 20, 2019.
7. Jen Monnier, "Cities Are Worried About the Health Effects of Glyphosate," CityLab, October 10, 2019.
8. Alessia Grunberger, "State's Highest Court Upholds Montgomery County's Pesticide Ban," Patch, May 3, 2019.
Join us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter
U.S. PIRG, Main Office: 1543 Wazee St., Ste. 460, Denver, CO 80202, (303) 801-0582
Federal Advocacy Office: 600 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, 4th Fl., Washington, DC 20003, (202) 546-9707
Member Questions or Requests: 1-800-838-6554.
If you want us to stop sending you email then follow this link -- unsubscribe.