Having a beautiful yard has long been a status symbol and conversation piece in American life. There are commercials all over the airwaves advertising different products to kill “pests” and “weeds” from our homes and lawns. While a truly “weed-free” yard might be pleasing to the eye, there are some intrinsic dangers contained in popular lawn-care techniques. One of these threats that is often well-hidden from gardeners and home-owners is the popular product Roundup. “Used in yards, farms and parks throughout the world, Roundup has long been a top-selling weed killer. But now researchers have found that one of Roundup’s inert ingredients can kill human cells, particularly embryonic, placental and umbilical cord cells.” A study has found that even at much more diluted levels than used in farms and on lawns there are ingredients in Roundup that are toxic to human cells (Gammon, 2009).
Before you spray Roundup this summer please think about the risks associated with doing so. Humans are not the only species negatively affected by the herbicide. It has been linked with the deaths of amphibians and frogs as well. “…Researchers found that the recommended application of Roundup™ killed up to 86 percent of terrestrial frogs after only one day. ‘The most striking result from the experiments was that a chemical designed to kill plants killed 98 percent of all tadpoles within three weeks and 79 percent of all frogs within one day’” (Melville, 2005). Are a few weeds really worth it?
So what can you do? For starters do not use Roundup on your lawn. Also avoid picking any wild edibles or medicinals from areas that appear to have been sprayed with Roundup (having no other species of plant other than trees and grass in the majority of the park is a telling sign for this). If it looks like a local park is using Roundup ask them to stop and spread the word to your friends and neighbors.
- http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=weed-whacking-herbicide-p
- http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/roundup-weed-killer-is-toxic-to-human-cells.-study-intensifies-debate-over-inert-ingredients/
- http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/impacts_glyphosate.pdf
Buffin, D., & Jewell, T. (2001). Health and environmental impacts of glyphosate. Friends of the Earth, Retrieved from http://foe.co.uk/resource/reports/impacts_glyphosate.pdf
Gammon, C. (2009, June 23). Weed-whacking herbicide proves deadly to human cells. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=weed-whacking-herbicide-p
Melville, K. (2005, August 04). Roundup™ super-toxic for frogs as well as tadpoles. Retrieved from http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20050704001701data
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