Recently our new President Joyce Johns received an email from Ella Mfene of Drugwatch with links to information about Bayer’s herbicide Roundup whose active ingredient is glyphosate. According to Ella’s guide (linked below), sometime in 2023 Roundup will be unavailable to residential users and only available commercially. But the EPA has yet to update the Roundup label warning of possible harm to health, even though Drugwatch claims recent studies indeed show harm. At Valencia Community Gardens, we do not use Roundup or other commercial weed killers but rely on mulching and good old-fashioned weed pulling and scuffle hoeing. Even the alternatives Drugwatch describes have limited effectiveness, come with caveats, and can be unsafe to apply without protective gear.
Here are the links Ella sent, the first updated October 30, 2023, and the second dated September 5, 2023: https://www.drugwatch.com/roundup/ and https://www.drugwatch.com/roundup/alternatives
And here is the body of Ella’s email:
| . . . My name is Ella, and I work with Drugwatch; a free web resource committed to ensuring the safety of families and providing vital health information. As you may know, pesticides can pose risks to both humans and animals. To address this concern, we have created a comprehensive guide that provides information and resources about Roundup, and its potential health effects. Additionally, we have created a guide that offers organic, homemade, and agricultural alternatives to mitigate these risks. Please feel free to explore them: https://www.drugwatch.com/roundup/ https://www.drugwatch.com/roundup/alternatives/ I believe that these pages would make a valuable addition to your website. . . . Best, Ella You can reach Ella at emfene@drugwatch.com Her second link gives information on Integrated Weed Management, and both links offer details of lawsuits against Bayer (formerly Monsanto). |