Photo Credit: Rajan Manickavasagam

The UK Parliament’s Parliamentary Group on Agroecology met in June to discuss the dangers of exposure to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. At the meeting, international experts shared their findings not only with members of UK political parties, but also with non-profit representatives, the media, and the general public. Among the experts was Dr. Malcom Hooper, a professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Sunderland, who pointed out that humans consume frequent, daily doses of glyphosate as residues in our food. He reported this exposure can harm beneficial gut bacteria, leading to leaky gut, irritable bowel syndrome Chrohn’s disease, celiac disease, and gluten intolerance. Research, he said, indicates that the “inert” ingredients in Roundup can also increase its toxicity well above the tested levels of glyphosate alone. Another presenter, Dr. Don Huber, professor emeritus of Plant Pathology at Purdue University, spoke about the interactions of glyphosate and GMOs on soil, plant, animal, and human health.  Dr. Huber voiced safety concerns with glyphosate and GMO exposure, including potential associations with increased levels of toxic products, premature aging, reproductive failure, immune system failure, infertility, and birth defects. Other presenters included Dr. John Peterson Myers, Founder, CEO and Chief Scientist of Environmental Health Sciences, and Dr. Michael Antoniou, Reader in Molecular Genetics and Head of the Gene Expression and Therapy Group, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, King’s College London School of Medicine, UK.