Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Tell the EPA: Ban cancer-causing glyphosate

The petition to the EPA reads:
"Protect the health of children and ecosystems, not Monsanto profits. Ban glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup."
Add your name:
Sign the petition ►
Pressure on the EPA is growing as local governments and other countries are starting to ban glyphosate. We have an opportunity to increase that pressure now as the EPA is taking public comments on its outrageous decision that glyphosate is safe. Glyphosate is linked to devastating incidences of cancer, plummeting monarch butterfly populations and catastrophic bee colony collapse. But despite all the evidence, the EPA is still refusing to ban glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto's toxic Roundup weed killer.
Public comments are due on July 5. If you sign the petition, we will count your signature in our comment to the EPA.
In May, the agribusiness giant Monsanto was ordered to pay $2 billion to a couple who both have cancer linked to glyphosate.1 That was the third time in the past year that courts ordered Monsanto to pay cancer survivors in connection to the toxic chemical.2 Lawsuits from more than 13,000 others are pending.3
But individual lawsuits are not the solution to the harm that glyphosate causes – the EPA should ban glyphosate now. After the International Agency for Research on Cancer found glyphosate is likely to cause cancer, several cities and counties banned the toxic chemical, including the city of Miami and Los Angeles County.4 But the EPA, the agency responsible for protecting us from environmental harm, is still ignoring the evidence.
Humans are not the only ones threatened by glyphosate. The chemical is largely responsible for the decline of monarch butterflies and other important pollinators. Since glyphosate entered the market, monarch butterflies have declined by more than 90%.5 Glyphosate destroys milkweed, which is the only plant migrating monarchs can use to lay their eggs.
Bees are at risk, too. Recent studies have shown that glyphosate damages their gut bacteria, which weakens their immune system and makes them more susceptible to other problems.6
No company's profits are more important than our children's health and the health of our fragile ecosystems. Tell the EPA to uphold its mission and ban glyphosate.
Tell the EPA: Ban glyphosate. Click the link below to sign the petition:
- Brandy Doyle, CREDO Action
Add your name:
Sign the petition ►
References:
  1. Paul Elias, "Jury: Monsanto to pay $2 billion in weed killer cancer case," AP News, May 13, 2019.
  2. Ibid.
  3. Ibid.
  4. Baum, Hedlund, Aristei and Goldman, Where is Glyphosate Banned?" updated June 2019.
  5. Douglas Main, "Monarch Butterflies Have Declined 90%; Conservationists Seek Extra Protection," Newsweek, Aug. 27, 2014.
  6. Science News, "Common weed killer linked to bee deaths," ScienceDaily, Sept. 24, 2018.

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