Richard > When you hear claims that glyphosate might cause non Hodgkin lymphoma cancer at the allowed levels in food you are listening to a fool who is totally ignoring the mountains of data that says this idea is simply ridiculous. 


Thanks for taking the time to help explain toxicology in an understandable way. I've concluded that folks advancing arguments like the one above are preaching a semi-religious belief system with high notes of hysteria mostly void of science fact.  I suppose they would say my adherence to science is also a belief system - one in which, BTW, I'm pleased to participate. 

There's been background noise about glyphosate or some time and I've been waiting for it to come under full pressure from concerned, although uninformed, citizens, and maybe rightfully so. Any chemical used to the extent that glyphosate is should take its turn in a national discussion. It's just that once it does it seems hard to keep the discussion balanced and the science seems to get lost in the hysteria for a time. The risk is always the same, dogma based movements gain popularity and we end up with devotees like the anti-vaxxers threatening decades of devoted work at disease eradication.  I suspect more regulation of glyphosate is in our future and more concern among beekeepers since the latest study is being socialized as follows:

>Weed killer, honey bee deaths linked in glyphosate study - USA Today

> Study shows glyphosate may be killing honeybees | Environment| 

> Common weed killer linked to bee deaths -- ScienceDaily

> Study: Roundup Weed Killer Could Be Linked To Widespread Bee Deaths - NPR

> Glyphosate linked to bee deaths | Cosmos

> More evidence that glyphosate in Monsanto weed-killer hurts honeybees - Business Insider


For those wanting to read the actual science it can be found here: 

Glyphosate affects the larval development of honey bees depending on the susceptibility of colonies
Diego E. Vázquez, Natalia Ilina, Eduardo A. Pagano, Jorge A. Zavala, Walter M. Farina 

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0205074#sec006

As one might suspect, the science is much more subtle than the headlines suggest.




Bill Hesbach
Cheshire CT.  

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html