Glyphosate is a commonly known herbicide which is used
to kill unwanted leaves or plants. It is a chemical ingredient in Roundup and other name
brand weed killers. However, glyphosate was not always used for killing plants.
It was patented in 1964 by Stauffer Chemical as
a metal chelator, also known as a binding agent that suppresses chemical
activity in metal. It was originally used to clean commercial boilers and
pipes. It typically removed minerals such as Calcium, Magnesium, Manganese, and
more. Since 1974, glyphosate switched its usage to plants instead of metals.
Today, people spray it on their agriculture, lawns, and gardens.
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| http://naturalsociety.com/glyphosate-california-wines-tested-6795/ |
In 2014, the number of pounds used in the United States was 249,906,307 pounds. The number of pounds used has greatly increased
since the start of glyphosate in the United States. The United States uses
almost the same amount of glyphosate on their crops as the whole entire
world. It is used in more than 90 countries in the world. The world uses about
250,000,000 pounds.
Glyphosate can be found in Roundup, Touchdown, Rodeo
and other pesticides. The United States uses glyphosate on many food, non-food
crops, and areas heavily laid with unwanted plants. It is most commonly used in
pastures, fields, lawns, turfs, greenhouses, and more. However, with the large number
of chemicals being used, the number of potential risks also increases.
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| http://www.wiglafjournal.com/pricing/2012/06/monsanto-the-global-glyphosate-market-case-study/ |
Health risks have been brought to the awareness by the
WHO, the EPA, and the CDC. This herbicide can cause fires or large explosions.
The toxic chemical can be combustible and give off fine particles that cause
these fire or explosions. To prevent either of these disasters, people are
suggested to prevent dispersion's of the small particles, by keeping them close
to the intended source. The herbicide can be inhaled, ingested, rubbed into the
eyes, or put on the skin. Symptoms that come from the inhalation, ingestion,
rubbing into the eyes, and skin irritation include coughing, burning feeling in
the throat or chest, and redness of the eyes and skin. To prevent any of these
symptoms, the user should wear gloves, googles and/ or a face mask. Obviously,
the users should avoid drinking or eating glyphosate.
Not only has this chemical effected the human body,
but also the environment. Run-off is a large issue with these types if
chemicals. The chemical is sprayed onto the plants and then the rain or any
kind of liquid that is poured onto the plant will cause run-off. The run-off
will typically go into unwanted areas. For example, the water that is now contaminated with the chemical, can run-off into bodies of water, other plants
that originally did not have the chemical, or it can go into the street.
Run-off can be extremely hazardous because the chemical cannot be seen and is now contaminating a new source that did not have the chemical before, and was never supposed to have it.
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| http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/150422-glyphosate-roundup-herbicide-weeds/ |
Genetically modified organisms (GMO's) are being found
more in today’s environment than any other time period. A GMO is an organism that has been modified for a specific reason. Roundup Ready crops are classified as GMO’s that are resistant to
Roundup. They were developed in 1996 and were initially genetically modified
soybeans that were resistant to Roundup. Roundup Ready crops has developed since then by adding more crops to the GMO list.
