As wildfires ravage California and the West Coast of the US several cities have been shrouded in smoke and orange fog. The scenes are eerie and apocalyptic.
Glyphosate in honey, FDA finds residues in US samples
A new US report warns of the presence of glyphosate in honey. The Roundup herbicide was found in all the samples analysed by the FDA.
Residues of glyphosate – the main ingredient of Monsanto’s famous Roundup weed killer – were found in all of the samples of honey the Food and Drug Administration has tested in a recent examination.
Residue levels of glyphosate in honey double the limit allowed in Europea
In some cases, according to the Huffington Post USA “honey showed residue levels double the limit allowed in the European Union”. The documents compiled by the FDA reveal also that the herbicide marketed by the American multinational company was found in some samples of soybean and wheat.
The study of the FDA is even more alarming considering that the World Health Organisation has rated glyphosate as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”. For this reason, many environmental and consumer protection associations have long been asking associations to conduct this study.
EPA is compiling another report on glyphosate
This is the first time the FDA has tested glyphosate on American food products, even though it examined a number of pesticides in past years. The only tests on glyphosate have been conducted in the United States by private companies, NGOs and voluntary scientists.
The piece of news on glyphosate in honey has been announced exactly in the period when the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is completing its study on the impact of this substance on human health in order to decide whether to limit its use or not. A public meeting has been scheduled between 18 and 21 October in Washington to take stock of EPA’s work. This event could spark protests and debates: the report was estimated to be published in 2015, while now, according to the association, it will be released in spring 2017.
Featured image: © Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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