According to a recent study published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology, Roundup and the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) pesticides are toxic and they both cause direct damage to the kidney cells. If you are like most people, you are probably wondering what exactly Roundup and Bt even are. Roundup is a glyphosate-based herbicide and it is not only Monsanto’s best-selling herbicide, it is also the most widely used herbicide on earth. Bt is a biopesticide, which is a pesticide that is grown from toxic organic matters such as bacterial species which exist naturally in the wild.
The study which was led by Gilles-Eric Séralini at the University of Caen, France first assessed the effects of Bt on human kidney cells. The study found that a formulation of Roundup, which was 200 times weaker than the levels used for agricultural use, killed half of all the kidney cells. Although this is the first study which demonstrated the toxic effects of Bt and Roundup on human kidney cells, previous studies conducted on rats have found that they cause hepatorenal, a type of severe kidney damage that most often leads to kidney failure.
Why Their Toxicity to Kidney Cells is No Big Surprise
The discovery that Bt is toxic is not revolutionary; environmentalists have long linked Bt use to the development of mutated insects and environmental damage. According to the Journal of Pesticide Reform, Bt is extremely lethal to caterpillars and insect larvae and in its pure form it can cause damage to mammals.
When it comes to toxicity, Roundup is no better than Bt. Roundup has been found to contaminate groundwater and the Danish government have deemed it so toxic, that they have banned its use all together. In addition, peer-reviewed studies have found that Roundup is extremely lethal to frogs, fish, butterflies and other aquatic life and two studies have found that roundup disrupts human hormones and may even lead to birth defects in humans. Given the toxicity that these two chemicals pose to other living creatures and the preliminary studies linking them to allergies and infertility amongst other ill health effects in humans, it is no real surprise, that they are also toxic to human organs such as the kidneys.
How This Affects Fruits and Vegetables You Eat
Monsanto is pushing the use of genetically modified organism (GMO) crops, which are created with the use of a combination of both Bt and Roundup. In fact, almost all of the GMO crops worldwide are currently made with Bt and Roundup and the majority of mass produced tomatoes, potatoes, corn, cantaloupes and strawberries are genetically modified. This is highly unfortunate, because eating organic fruits and vegetables simply isn’t enough to avoid Bt and Roundup due to the fact that most junk food, fast food and processed food contains at least one ingredient which has been grown with them. Although it is unlikely that you can completely avoid contact with Bt and Roundup, boycotting GMO fruits and vegetables, eating locally grown, organic foods and avoiding junk food and fast food can help to keep your exposure to these dangerous toxins to a minimum.