Alex Pietrowski, Staff Writer
Waking Times

The European Union’s smallest member country, Malta, has officially begun the process of completely banning Monsanto’s toxic glyphosate from the 122 square mile island nation in the Mediterranean Sea. Labeled a ‘probable carcinogenic’ by the World Health Organization, controversy over the use of glyphosate, a primary ingredient in the popular gardening product RoundUp, is a globally contentious issue, yet very few nation states have sided with precautionary reasoning when considering the continued use of this toxic herbicide and crop desiccant.

Usage of glyphosate is soaring worldwide, even in the face of vast expert and personal testimony that confers upon the risks to public health of its usage in industrial agriculture and in small-scale farms and gardens. In addition to being suspected of causing cancer under certain conditions, glyphosate has been linked to many other serious and chronic health problems, such as autoimmune disorders, liver poisoning, autism, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, inflammatory bowel disease and other chronic illnesses.

Furthermore glyphosate is severely disruptive to the gut microbiome of the human body, which is now being understood as a ‘second brain,’ responsible in major ways for regulating mood, the emotional body, our immune system, and influencing mental health conditions like depression.

“Glyphosate is such an effective killer because it gets into plants and prevents them from taking up their normal nutrients – thus starving them to death. Glyphosate depletes micronutrients(such as calcium, zinc, magnesium, sulfur and cobalt, just to name a few) which are essential for health in plant and animal organisms. Specifically, glyphosate interferes with the shikimate pathway, a metabolic function in plants which allows them to create essential amino acids or proteins. Without this pathway functioning properly, the plant cannot survive.

Although animals and humans don’t have a shikimate pathway, here comes the glyphosate problem: the bacteria in our gut (microbiome or microbiota) do have this pathway, and we are reliant upon this microbiome in our gut for our health, immunity and our “second brain”. When we allow glyphosate to infiltrate our system, it destroys our gut and subsequently our immune system.” [Source]

Additionally, it is widely known that misuse, abuse and overuse of agrichemicals such as glyphosate is a common international problem, as is highlighted in the case of Argentina, where agrochemicals are causing widespread and terrifying health problems for citizens, especially those living close to farms and agricultural facilities in rural areas.

With such an overwhelming body of evidence linking so many health issues to this chemical, it would stand to reason that governments around the world should err on the side of caution, which is a point also made by Malta’s environment minister.

“Environment Minister José Herrera has said that Malta’s opposition to glyphosate is based on the precautionary principle, which states that potentially hazardous protects should not be used unless they can be proven safe.” [Source]

READ: The Complete History of Monsanto, The World’s Most Evil Corporation

France may be next in considering an outright national ban on glyphosate, indicating that we may be on the brink of triggering a global domino effect, hopefully allowing consumer and public concern to be recognized above the interests of multi-national corporations. If the political will to ban the risky chemical can be mustered by one nation, it can be mustered by any nation.

“The decision shows courage from government’s side as it chose to listen to the concerns of experts and individuals who have demanded that our fields, streets and gardens would be free from this risky weed killer.” [Source]

For a comprehensive look at the risks involved with the use of glyphosate, please visit our database on this critical public health issue, here. Watch this telling interview with a Monsanto lobbyist who makes the claim that glyphosate is safe to drink, but refuses to do so when offered the chance, saying, “I am not an idiot.”

Read more articles by Alex Pietrowski.

 

About the Author

Alex Pietrowski is an artist and writer concerned with preserving good health and the basic freedom to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. He is a staff writer for WakingTimes.com and Offgrid Outpost, a provider of storable food and emergency kits. Alex is an avid student of Yoga and life.

This article (EU’s Smallest Nation is it’s First to Completely Ban Monsanto’s Toxic Glyphosate) was originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Alex Pietrowski and WakingTimes.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this copyright statement.