Are There Potential Side Effects?      

Since roundup is a relatively new ingredient, it is hard to quantify and qualify the effects on our health and the environment. In any event, here are some of the potential dangers associated with roundup usage. 

Environmental Issues

A major concern with farmers becoming too reliant on roundup ready crops is that other weeds and crops could become resistant to roundup.

In areas where roundup ready crops are grown in abundance, there is an issue of other seeds becoming contaminated. This makes organic farming almost impossible in certain areas, as seed contamination through various means is inevitable.

Monsanto has developed something called “terminator technology”, which renders the second-generation seeds from a crop yield in fertile. This means that farmers need to re-purchase round-up ready seeds each time they plant. They claim that this technology

Roundup Ready seeds have what is known as "terminator technology;" seeds that are grown for a second generation are sterile. Farmers need to purchase seeds from Monsanto each year if they want to continue to use their crops. Many cite the terminator technology as restricting and preventing farmers from reusing their best seed, requiring them to rely on the newest strain of Roundup Ready seed each year. Monsanto claims that the terminator technology is used to help prevent the spread of the glyphosate resistance to other species.

Health Issues

Most of the research into health issues surrounding the use of roundup have been published by two scientists, Anthony Samsel, a retired science consultant, and Stephanie Seneff, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Another chemical commonly used in herbicide and pesticide formulations is 2,4-D, which is better researched than glyphosate and has been linked to ceratin cancers and may also affect the endocrine system leading to reproductive or neurological issues.

Glyphosate is believed to impair the cytochrome P450 (CYP) gene pathway, which makes enzymes that help to form and also break down molecules in cells. One function of these CYP enzymes is also to detoxify foreign chemicals like drugs, carcinogens or pesticides.

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Another concern is that exposure to genetically modified crops in general might cause allergies. Genes from one plant are introduced to other plants as part of genetic engineering. This means that people allergic to certain foods might react to a food that they were not previously sensitive too. For example Brazil but genes have been introduced into certain soybean varieties. This could spell unseen trouble for Brazil nut allergy sufferers.

The Bottom Line

Despite the potential issues surrounding roundup and glyphosate exposure, the general message being put out by Monsanto and the Environmental Protection Agency is that it is safe for human consumption in the levels found in our everyday food. For those concerned, protect yourself by eliminating foods and food ingredients that come from roundup ready crops, and eat animals that have been fed organically.