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Maybe Steve can correct me if I'm wrong; I've been a pesticide sprayer at commercial nursery's in the past and it is my understanding that Roundup and other chemicals are supposed to break down over time while sitting on the soil.
The problem is that there's a lot of rain and not much soil here; poisons quickly flow down through our porous rock contaminating our water supply and eventually our reef system.
The County should be mowing roadsides, farmers and landscapers should look for alternatives.
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From
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glyphosate#...ental_fate
quote:
The median half-life of glyphosate in soil ranges between 2 and 197 days; a typical field half-life of 47 days has been suggested. Soil and climate conditions affect glyphosate's persistence in soil. The median half-life of glyphosate in water varies from a few days to 91 days.[20]
Other information:
http://npic.orst.edu/ingred/glyphosate.html
The toxicity of glyphosate is usually associated with the surfactant (soap) used to break down waxy layers on leaves to allow easier penetration of the herbicide, not the glyphosate itself. Maybe like consuming some liquid dish soap?
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When I paddle out at Pohoiki, I can smell/feel the Roundup in the water while going through First Bay(Boat Ramp area).
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That's not Roundup that's whale pee. It will go away in April.
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RoundUp specifically advertises that glyphosate doesn't break down over time but instead gets stuck in the soil (therefore not running off into a watershed).
Thats what they claim. I question how many if any of these tests were done in the porous basalt of the big island. Also I don't trust monsanto given their past history so its kind of a moot point to me. Believe them if you will that is what they advertise.
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"RoundUp specifically advertises that glyphosate doesn't break down over time but instead gets stuck in the soil (therefore not running off into a watershed)."
Glyphosate "adsorbs" or clings to soil particles where it is acted on by soil organisms and broken down, usually in a short time of days or a few weeks. The relevant context is that by adsorbing and sticking to particles the glyphosate doesn't tend to drain into lower soil layers but stays where there is more soil activity by bacteria, etc. Depends on conditions, of course.
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Yes,
it's true that glyphosate is strongly ADSORBES (attached to) clay particles and negatively charged organic particles, then is slowly gets biodegraded by other living organisms. Unfortunately some of the other living organisms that die in the process are soil beneficial fungi (like mycorrhizae) which essentially extend the root systems of mature trees and shrubs to increase water and mineral absorption. Without mycorrhizal association many trees and shrubs get weakened and sometimes die off. Forest ecology is very complex and not fully understood but what is understood is that glyphosate harms a variety of soil fungi.
It is also true that frequently the "inert" or "secret ingredients" in pesticides and herbicides may be more toxic and harmful than the so called "active ingredients". There was a pesticide banned in the 1980's, perhaps Lindane which was found to contain up to 15 % DDT. Now DDT had been banned for a long time previously but since it was an "inert" ingredient in Lindane (If I remember correctly) it had escaped regulation.
The surfactants in Roundup are designed to enable the pesticide to penetrate and cross the cell membrane and get into the plants' circulatory system. Can you imagine an inert ingredient that would allow a poison to cross your skin- your body's first line of defense and get into your circulatory system? I can/ do /did and while I will still use glyphosate in very select situations I don't believe it is a silver bullet to solve all of life's problems. Nor do I believe it is safe, and I certainly hope it doesn't give me cancer in the future. I too can taste glyphosate in my mouth (sort of a metallic taste) when someone upwind is spraying it.
One final thought: Acceptable levels of pesticide and other chemical residues have largely been determined by TOXICOLOGISTS, professionals who determine how much of a substance will kill you. Recently some people have been thinking that ENDOCRINOLOGISTS might be better professionals for setting limits on acceptable levels of residue. Know any kids with ADHD/ADD/Aspergers etc? It's very possible that many man-made (like BPA) act as endocrine disruptors at very low levels. It does not take a toxic dose to create serious problems, and maybe the EPA should be working with endocrinologists instead of toxicologists.
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http://www.monsanto.com/products/Pages/r...rials.aspx
See for yourself Obie.
They say it can be "degraded" by microorganisms as Pete mentioned but they also say it stays stuck in the soil and doesn't run off into the water sheds.
Interesting method of posting quoting and claiming bs alert in caps. Thanks for your contribution.
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quote:
Originally posted by Obie
Why don't you post a link ??
I have never seen them spraying roundup down there.
I did find this link that Bob posted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WyJJh6UiqY
This is a better one obie :
http://vimeo.com/67258876
This has a pretty good image of a sprayer caught in the act, as he rises near center frame, and at 5 sec a tube is caught in several frames as it goes from left to right slightly below horizontal center.
A few miles from Pohoiki, and I don't think he is spraying roundup, but I do believe it is harmful, and probably the real reason for the decline in the bee population's
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LOL...those videos are like the one that went around last year of a fly passing in front of a camera at an airshow, which was immediately pronounced to be a secret super-high speed plane.
And of course the bees couldn't be dying off because of the Varroa mite that was introduced here a few years ago after nearly wiping out all the wild honeybees on the mainland, could it? Naw, it must be Monsanto...
