Monsanto’s popular herbicide, glyphosate, linked to cancer and antibiotic resistance

By Chela Vázquez

 The world is scrutinizing Monsanto’s popular weed killer, glyphosate, classified as “probably carcinogenic to humans” by the cancer arm branch of the World Health Organization (WHO).

On March 20, 2015 seventeen global health experts met at WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) to discuss years of data linking glyphosate and cancer in experimental animals, and concluded that it probably causes cancer in humans as well. Four other organophosphate insecticides also were evaluated.

IARC’s decision on glyphosate came on the heels of a study released by scientists from New Zealand that linked the herbicides glyphosate, 2,4-D, and dicamba to antibiotic resistance in disease-causing bacteria, such as E. coli and Salmonella.

Widespread use of glyphosate in Asia and around the world

Glyphosate, also known as Roundup for its tradename with Monsanto, is the most common and heavily used herbicide worldwide.

In Asia glyphosate is used in rubber, oil palm, sugar cane, tea, and hybrid corn plantations. It is also used on soybeans, cotton, rice, and wheat among other crops.

Monsanto created and marketed glyphosate as Roundup. After Monsanto’s patent on glyphosate expired in 2000, many agrochemical companies manufacture it under different commercial names. Over 700 glyphosate formulations are used globally.

China has become the largest glyphosate supplier in the world, with production over half a million tons, mostly for export.

Implications to human health

“Glyphosate is widely used in Asia, often with minimal protection. The people mostly impacted are farmers, agricultural workers, women and children” said Sarojeni Rengam from PAN Asia Pacific. “Therefore, the health implications of carcinogenicity and antibiotic resistance linked to glyphosate are enormous”. 

 In addition to exposure during pesticide spraying, pesticide storage creates health hazards. For instance, a 2011 field appraisal on the use of pesticides in Lao PDR, PAN Asia Pacific found glyphosate originating from China, in 15 and 30 liter plastic tanks, stored at home in close proximity to cooking and sleeping facilities. Pesticide shops also sold glyphosate and other pesticides close to food items.

Governments should take measures to remove this highly hazardous pesticide from the farming communities.

 Increased use of glyphosate with genetically engineered crops

Monsanto also genetically engineered (GE) soybeans, corn, and cotton resistant to glyphosate, and multiplied its revenues by selling both GE seed and glyphosate. Monsanto’s US$15.9 billion annual sales are closely tied to glyphosate.

Because weeds developed resistance to glyphosate, increasing amounts of the herbicide are applied in combination with old and dangerous herbicides, such as 2,4-D, which was used as an ingredient of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.

Strong global response is needed

The IARC’s labeling of glyphosate as a probable carcinogen to humans has sent ripple waves around the world. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), which registers and regulates pesticides for use in agriculture, has announced that it will require a weed resistance management plan for glyphosate from Monsanto, which includes monitoring for weed resistance.

PAN Asia Pacific and PAN International have called on governments to exercise their political will to protect people and the environment, and have demanded a plan in the next 60 days to address the use of highly hazardous pesticides and a way to move forward towards sustainable, healthy methods of agricultural production.

Cameron Highlands Waters Tainted with Pesticides

By Chela Vázquez

Once again Cameron Highlands in Malaysia takes the stage for the dubious honor of being a highly polluted place. Here, vegetables are grown for export and for internal consumption across the country and overseas markets, raising concerns about the safety of the food produced and consumed in Malaysia.

Researchers from University Kebangsaan Malaysia over a 5-month study, August-December 2014, in Cameron Highlands of the surface waters of two rivers, Bertam and Terla, and tap water in the town of Brinchang, have found residues of highly toxic organochlorine pesticides (OCs). These results were presented at a seminar with government officials and the general public in Cameron Highlands on March 6, 2015. A local organization, REACH, and Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific co-hosted the event.

 Potential Health Impacts

“The people of Cameron Highlands have the right to know about poisons present in the water they drink. Furthermore, consumers in Malaysia must know about pesticide residues found in their food” said Sarojeni Rengam from PAN Asia Pacific.

The highly toxic pesticide residues found on surface water and in the drinking water of pipes, sends alarming signals about the long-term human health impact in Brinchang and other towns which depend on the same sources for drinking water.

OCs have affinity for fat tissue and are found in most living organisms. Their ability to adhere to soil particles and affinity to fat tissue facilitate their long-range transport across the globe. They are infamous for their presence in places where they have never been produced nor used. In pristine environments like the Arctic, even the polar bears have OCs in their bodies, and breastmilk of indigenous women in Alaska contain OC concentrations that are among the highest in the world.

OC chemicals are known for their adverse health impact at low dose of exposure over log periods of time because they bioaccumulate inside living organisms. They are known endocrine disruptors, capable of mimicking hormones such as estrogen. In lab animals and wildlife exposed to OC chemicals, birth defects, behavioral abnormalities, impaired fertility have been observed in the offspring of parents exposed to these chemicals, indicating hormonal disruption during prenatal development.

Illegal Pesticides

Most of the pesticide residues were breakdown products belonging to the insecticides endosulfan, aldrin, methoxychlor, eldrin, lindane, DDT, and heptachlor oxide, which have been banned in Malaysia years ago. OC chemicals are persistent and adhere to soil particles, therefore their presence in water might originate from their leaching out of the soil. However, the presence of undegraded endosulfan II in water, suggests application of this insecticide on agricultural fields around a year ago.

At the meeting in Cameron Highlands, Mr. Rama from REACH, presented to the press several illegal pesticides, that ranged from labels in foreign language, repackaged pesticides sold in bags with poor labeling, and methomyl, an insecticide classified by the World Health Organization as class 1 because of its high toxicity. Methomyl has never been registered in Malaysia.

This study only measured OC pesticides in water. It did not test for the presence of organophophorus compounds, carbamates, pyrethroids, fungicides, and toxic herbicides, which are also known to be in high use in Cameron Highlands.

Further Research and Action are needed

The OC findings in Cameron Highlands’ waters point to the need to obtain more information on the presence of pesticide residues in water and also on food. This would be an exercise on the public Right to Know on matters that affect their health and particularly the development of young children.

Regarding the presence of illegal toxic pesticides, it calls for urgent action to prevent further poisoning the environment and endangering human health. Additionally, monitoring of human health, particularly of agricultural workers and farmers is needed. Finally, implementing policies to assist farmers to move towards safer ecological methods in agriculture, free of toxic chemicals, would be crucial to protect human health and the environment.

The Future of Poisoned Children (Poem)

By: Romeo F. Quijano, M.D.

Look into the future my friend and see the mass of poisoned children

Born into the muck of apathy they seem to wander aimlessly

Brains impaired and bodies made frail insidiously by toxic mists

Deprived of vision deprived of hope,  no path to tread nowhere to go.

Look into the food they eat and see the dreg it had become

Examine the water they drink, not even fit for pets you own

Pesticides in their springs, wells and rivers, lakes and seas

Poisons bathing all their farms, rice, vegetables and even sweets.

Wasn't there a global summit as early as 1990,

For a better future of progeny, political action it has to be?

But where is that promise to create a world fit for children,

Where is that global pledge to protect the rights of every child?

Are there not many institutions, UN bodies, various governments

Enacting laws and regulations to protect health and environment?

Are there not scientists who know toxic chemicals and the risks?

Aren't there any publication telling the true information?

All swept away by the avalanche of capitalist greed!

Unleashed  by the brute force of a superpower gone crazy

Pushed by the ruthless might of agrochemical TNCs,

Vile bureaucrats complicit, children's welfare trumped by profits!

Book into the future, my friend, and join the mass of people rising

Gather a crowd of enlightened gentry and be a revolutionary!

No more brains impaired no more bodies made frail by toxic mists

Vision restored and hope revived, our path is clear, children set free!

                                      ---000---

Promoting ecological agriculture

Promoting ecological agriculture

With CPAM creating strong awareness among farming communities, many of them not only pledged to reduce pesticide use, but also wanted to move towards farming without chemicals – that is, towards organic or ecologi-cal agriculture. After the CPAM process, PAN AP’s partner Vikalpani, the Sri Lankan Women’s Federation, was motivated to work with PAN AP to organize a series of training workshops on organic farming for its members, many of whom are now practising organic agriculture in their home gardens and in their rice fields.

PAN AP has been a strong advocate for small-farm BEA as a sustainable alternative to the toxic model of modern agriculture. BEA is also a fundamental component of food sovereignty. It provides sustainable livelihoods for small farming communities and strengthens community resilience in coping with climate change. It is one of the Five Pillars of Rice Wisdom that form the foundation of PAN AP’s Save Our Rice campaign, launched in 2003. With the global food, financial and climate crises which emerged in 2008, the importance of BEA in sustaining the food security and food sover-eignty of small, vulnerable rice communities all over Asia took on greater urgency. Thus, capacity-building has featured largely in our activities in recent years as a focus area that contributed significantly towards community resilience and sustainable development.

We identified the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) as an impor-tant BEA technology for sustainable livelihoods. This was because SRI had proven to reduce production costs while increasing yields and net incomes significantly in several Asian countries over the past three decades. Two regional workshops for network partners and farmers from eight Asian countries were organized in Cambodia and India, with partner organizations Centre d’Etude et de Développement Agricole Cambodgien (CEDAC) and Kudumbam respectively acting as trainers due to their expertise in SRI. Another regional training programme on farmer empowerment, seed breeding and climate change adaptation using diversified integrated farming systems was organized for partners and farmers from 11 countries to meet the need for rice communities to learn to organize themselves, save seeds and adapt to climate change. This training was conducted by MASIPAG, a farmer-scientist partnership for development in the Philippines, due to its expertise in the areas of focus. These were fundamental areas for the sustainable development of poor rural communities.

Indigenous women preparing a nursery bed as part of the BEA training in Sarawak.

Having close network partners with BEA expertise has been very significant and a major strength for our network. With these partners, we have managed more effectively to meet the needs of our other network partners and the sectors both we and they serve. Other than training, such partners have also helped us to develop important factsheets on BEA and farmer empowerment, which have been translated by network partners into local languages to strengthen their BEA sustainability initiatives.

We also responded to local needs for capacity-build-ing in BEA where local communities were found to be struggling with low yields and incomes. Local indigenous communities in East Malaysia and small rice farmers in Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand, India, received special hands-on training in BEA and SRI skills.

All the BEA projects were very much appreciated by the participants, who said they had gained a lot from the training and who continue to practise and benefit from their new skills. Trainees have reported gains such as minimizing pest attacks by using organic pesticides they have learned to make. They have also achieved improved yields, better incomes and a more diversified diet (for example from kitchen gardens), and have even increased their adaptive capacity to climate change. Seed breeding techniques learned from MASIPAG have been upscaled at the local level in several countries, including Indonesia, Nepal, Cambodia and India.

PAN AP works with marginalized groups to ensure food security and a healthy environment farmer said of the MASIPAG training: “It widened my vision and knowledge in terms of the role of local rice seeds for farmers.” Meanwhile, network partners have shared how these initiatives have helped them build capacity to upscale BEA initiatives at the local level and empowered local communities to do better.

The capacity-building activities have facilitated the upscaling of BEA practices; built BEA skills among farmers, non-governmental organi-zation (NGO) staff, agricultural extension workers and others; and supported local action and network building. Collectively, the activities have significantly contributed to the sustainable human development of small rice farming communities in various countries in Asia.

In 2009, the rice fields of Yunnan, China, were destroyed by the rice plant hopper and we collaborated with our network partner in Yunnan, the Pesticide Eco-Alternatives Center (PEAC), to address the situation. A short study was carried out, followed by a cross-country workshop on the results, involving NGOs, academics, scientists and policymakers from China, Vietnam, Laos and Burma. In addition, we produced factsheets on the rice plant hopper and Integrated Pest Management. All these efforts were timely responses by PAN AP and PEAC to the crisis, to convince agriculturalists and policymakers that the use of pesticides actually exacerbates rice plant hopper attacks and is unsustainable, whereas BEA methods are effective and sustainable in dealing with pests.

The Future of Poisoned Children

By Romeo F. Quijano, M.D.

My grandson, David, stays in our house 2-3 times a week while his parents are at work. It is my wife who usually does the babysitting but I often have the chance to do the babysitting myself whenever I am at home. Despite my many travels abroad and to Mindanao, I get to spend quite a lot of time with David, enjoying every moment of it - playing, showing him some simple tricks, singing songs, listening to music on line and dancing (he's such a good dancer!), playing my mandolin to him, feeding him, assisting him in the toilet, putting him to sleep, etc, etc. I began to teach him about healthy diet, organic fruits and vegetables, and the dangers that pesticides bring to children's health when he was about 3 years old. I even taught him the scientific names of fruits and vegetables he ate and some medicinal plants. He is such a fast learner that now his knowledge of science is far advanced of his age (he is now 5 yrs old) and he now knows the scientific names of at least 20 fruits and vegetables. Whenever I am not home, he always asked my wife where I was and whenever I come home he hugs me, tells me he missed me and then shows me his drawings and scribbles about me when I was away, all showing pure love and affection. He is such a lovable and intelligent kid who would undoubtedly be a valuable contributor to the society of the near future to which he belongs and which would be beyond my time.

When I think about David's future, and the future of all children, I feel sad and angry but at the same time, deeply motivated and hopeful.  I feel sad because I know that despite my best efforts to protect David from toxic chemicals, he is still exposed to a variety of pesticides and other toxics and all I could do is try to reduce that exposure.  There is hardly any person or any place on earth that is left uncontaminated and not poisoned to some degree. Children are the hardest hit. The health of children worldwide is worsening. The incidence rates of developmental abnormalities, asthma, diabetes, certain cancers and other diseases in children have increased. This has serious implications for the future wellbeing, not only of the children, but of the future society as a whole. Pesticides and other toxic contaminants in air, water, and food have emerged as important causal factors. I have personally studied and observed this unfortunate situation in my 38 years of work in the academe and in various communities in many countries as a medical professional. In banana plantation communities in Mindanao, in palm oil plantations in Malaysia, in a cashew plantation in India, in garbage dump communities in Manila and Cebu, and in many other areas, I have examined children harmed by pesticides and other toxic chemicals. In addition, having participated in many international meetings and negotiations pertaining to toxic chemicals and related issues at various international fora, my personal experiences were affirmed by information exchanges and discussions with numerous experts in toxic chemicals from various governments, international agencies, research and academic institutions, public interest groups and even from the chemical industry.

I feel angry because big business continue the irresponsible manufacture and use of highly hazardous pesticides and other toxics with the complicity of governments, international agencies, corrupt bureaucrats and prostituted scientists that promote or allow profiteering from toxic chemicals at the expense of health and environment, putting our children's future in serious jeopardy. Corporate interests and political expediency are the dominant considerations influencing regulatory decisions pertaining to pesticides and other toxic chemicals especially in Third World countries where socio-political circumstances are conducive for powerful corporations to exert influence and manipulate public policy.

These mixed feelings of sadness and anger, however, keeps me deeply motivated to continue fighting to eliminate or at least restrict, as many as possible, highly hazardous pesticides and other toxics and to continue supporting community struggles against corporate aggression in various forms.  People's resistance against corporate imposed unsustainable and toxic agriculture is increasing and offers hope and optimism. Biodiversity-based ecological agriculture and non-pesticide approaches are being practiced more widely by tens of thousands of farmers across Asia and other parts of the world. These farmers and their children not only lead healthier lives but have improved livelihoods. Landless peasants, consumers and other sectors are organizing themselves and coming together in broader coalitions to assert food sovereignty and to resist agrochemical TNCs. Indeed, the growing people's movement against imperialist imposition and for social liberation is a reason to be optimistic and to be hopeful that the future of poisoned children may not be so bleak after all. 

Remembering Irene Fernandez

By Chela Vázquez

I met Irene Fernandez at a PAN International meeting in Penang, Malaysia at the end of 2007. It was my first meeting with the PAN global network and the reunion was remarkable for the array of social and environmental thinkers and activists gathered during three days and the boiling soup of ideas transforming into plans of action.

The PAN meeting brought together strong community leaders, and among the women leaders was Irene. In 2007, Irene was going through a lawsuit, then, in its 13th-year, that was brought against her for a report exposing human rights abuses and pesticide poisonings of agricultural migrant workers, particularly of women.  She had been sentenced to prison in 2003 and was on bail pending the decision of the High Court, which later acquitted her.

Again in 2012 Irene was investigated for sedition against the government for her interview to foreign reporters about the deplorable treatment and conditions of many foreign domestic workers in Malaysia. The headline of a newspaper article read “Irene fans the fire” in reference to her statements, which reflected her unequivocal stance in defense of migrant workers.

I worked with Irene and PAN colleagues in the documentation of PAN International’s Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal on agrochemicals that was held in Bangalore, India in 2011. Our team put together evidence on the impact of highly hazardous pesticides on agricultural workers, farmers and rural communities worldwide. Needless to say, our meetings were lively. Endearing memories of Irene bring back her pointed questions and insistence for a connection to grassroots communities that our work intended to serve.

Irene's words still echo among us. She would say “..it is fundamental that we address the human rights violations of migrant workers and rural communities affected by these toxic chemicals and the abuse with impunity by the corporations who manufacture these products…” 

Indeed Irene had the ability and determination to bring grassroots concerns into the public consciousness and to generate action. For over 25 years she worked with plantation workers and had facilitated for women agricultural workers to speak at international fora to provide first-hand accounts of the impact of pesticides on themselves and their families. Under her leadership, Tenaganita, which she served as director, published reports of acute poisonings in the oil palm plantations and waged an unrelenting campaign to convince companies to reduce and phase out toxic pesticides, particularly the herbicide paraquat. To this date, major oil palm plantations have begun to phase out this chemical.

People remember Irene in many ways. PAN AP staff remembers her as a motherly figure and adviser, for some she had a tough exterior with a soft inside, for others she was a dedicated and caring person. Many remember her as a fighter for the rights of the oppressed. For Saro Rengam, PAN AP’s director, Irene was her close friend and mentor. Saro said “Irene was instrumental in the early formation of PAN AP and from then on her influence was felt in the development of all our programmes.”

Irene was involved with PAN AP since 1990 and served as its chair until the end. She chaired PAN AP’s steering council meeting barely three days before she had a massive heart attack and was hospitalized.

I will remember Irene as a fearless human rights advocate faithful to her convictions until the end. At her eulogy, her daughter Katrina remembered Irene’s words: Be clear on what you want, claim your space and use it responsibly.  Irene used her space quite well.

Victory in China!

By Chela Vázquez

Farmer applying endosulfan on cotton field in Xinjiang

 province, China. Picture provided by PEAC, Yunnan province, China.

China has joined the global effort to eliminate endosulfan. This is very good — and very big — news, since China is both a large user and major producer of this harmful, longlasting pesticide.

"We are glad that China's leadership has taken the right steps in protecting its citizens," says Dou Hong of Pesticide Eco-Alternative Center (PEAC), a PAN partner group in the Yunnan province. The 12th National People's Congress agreed to eliminate China's production and use of endosulfan in late August, when it ratified a global treaty amendment requiring the ban.

Endosulfan was added to the list of chemicals slated for a global elimination under the Stockholm Convention back in 2011, after a powerful push by PAN partners around the world. The antiquated pesticide is highly toxic to humans and most other organisms, and can persist for years — even decades — in the environment.

Toward endosulfan-free cotton & tea

China began producing endosulfan in 1994, with at least three companies manufacturing the active ingredient and about 40 more formulating endosulfan products. The pesticide was initially applied mainly in cotton fields, but by 1998 its use had extended to tea, wheat, tobacco, apples, and other fruits.

More than 25,000 tons of endosulfan were used on Chinese crops between 1994 and 2004.

China officially banned endosulfan use on tea and apples in 2011, but a few months ago the pesticide was found in 11 out of 18 tea products sampled. The residue on tea leaves has raised major concerns; drinking tea is an important part of Chinese culture and most people consume several cups a day. China is also a major tea exporter.

Farewell to a very bad actor

China's recent action represents a tremendous step in the right direction.

National data on endosulfan poisonings are hard to verify, but between 1999 to 2007 PEAC recorded 77 cases, of which 32 were fatal. Also, the National Poison Control Center of China has recorded 90 poisoning incidents from 2001 to 2003 including nine deaths.

The chemical can be harmful when in contact with the skin, by inhalation, and by ingestion. Severe poisonings in the state of Kerala, India have been linked to crippling disabilities in rural families.

Dou Hong emphasizes the importance of the government's recent decision to the people of China:

“Farmers, agricultural workers, and rural communities will be spared from this toxic chemical that is on record for poisoning people and the environment. Safe alternatives to endosulfan exist and we must make every effort to produce food that is healthy and that no one is harmed in its production.”

Endosulfan is one of the highly hazardous pesticides PAN International has targeted for global action. China's recent action represents a tremendous step in the right direction.

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