The toxic effects of weed killers

Spring has sprung and gardening is just around the corner. I feel It’s an important time to talk about the toxic effects of weed killers (like Roundup). The truth is, these weed killers are toxic to more than just our weeds.

My thinking is anything that’s meant to kill living organisms by putting unnatural chemicals into the air and ground, probably isn’t going to be good for our health and the environment. After doing some research, I was shocked at how harmful these weed killers really are.

Why Roundup (made by Monsanto) is so harmful

First of all, the main ingredient in Roundup is Glyphosate, which has been linked to cancer, kidney disease, and other hormone-related issues. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, concluded that glyphosate is a “carcinogenic” to humans and there was some evidence that linked it to non-Hodgkin lymphoma. These conclusions were based upon

• animal lab studies showing a link between glyphosate and cancerous tumors in mice and rats, and
• lab results showing “mechanistic evidence” of this weed killer damaging DNA in human cells.

Glyphosate has become the most popular weed killer in the world. According to this National Geographic article, It is “used in more than 160 countries, with more than 1.4 billion pounds applied per year.” That’s a lot of dead weeds. According to Nathan Donley, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, “Glyphosate is everywhere. We’ve contaminated just about every open space that exists in the states.” Please note: Watch out for “organic friendly” weed killer which may also contain Glyphosate. 

Unfortunately, weeds are now becoming more resilient to this weed killer, which is causing growers to use even more, thereby making the problem worse.

Why It’s bad for honeybees and our food supply

We already know, Glyphosate is meant to kill weeds but did you know it’s killing off bee populations around the world as well? A University of Texas study concluded that Glyphosate “destroys specialized gut bacteria in bees, leaving them more susceptible to infection and death from harmful bacteria.” 

If we lose the plants that honeybees pollinate, that will affect the animals that feed upon those plants, which in turn affects the global food chain. In other words, if the honeybees die, it’s going to eventually kill off animal food supplies around the world creating a “disastrous domino effect” on our planet.

Although they’re considered a mediocre food source for bees, dandelions tend to bloom earlier than other flowers, which provides an essential food source for bees, so It’s important to keep dandelions around as long as possible. (Hopefully, you can explain that to the neighbors when they complain about your “poor gardening skills”.) 

If you must kill your dandelions, please do it naturally

Once the bees have enough pollen and nectar from your garden, and you still feel compelled to get rid of your dandelions, there are other, more natural ways to do it.

• Pull them from their roots and add them to compost;
  
• Mix agricultural vinegar (contains 20% acetic acid) with salt, and spray it directly to the weeds, avoiding the plants around them;
• Eat them. Apparently, dandelions are edible. (No thanks, but good to know.)

Before you buzz off (sorry, can’t help it), please share the importance of keeping bees alive, especially with your kids. If you do, they might not be so afraid of these essential pollinators. It’s more important than ever to protect these incredible creatures from demise, not only to preserve the species but to protect the balance of our ecosystem and food supplies. For the sake of your and your family’s health, as well as the environment and its creatures, please ditch the harmful weed killers (and those plastic bee traps while you’re at it). Thank you! 

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