OTHER CHEMICAL COMPANIES GAME PLAYING

Ecojustice has put on-line some highly critical information regarding Monsanto Corporation. According to Ecojustice, a recent U.S. court case has exposed documents referred to as the "Monsanto papers". Allegedly Monsanto changed scientific research to downplay the cancer risks pf the glyphosate pesticides. Ecojustice then advises that Canadian regulators appear to have relied on many of those same studies in regards to their re-approval of the use of glyphosate in Canada for the next fifteen years.

Ecojustice are therefore asking the Canadian Minister of Health to reassess this re-approval decision. Quoting Elaine McDonald of Ecojustice in a CBC interview "We need to know when science is independent, and when science has been potentially influenced by vested interests, such as industry. In this case, these were put forward as independent scientific papers, and what the Monsanto papers have revealed is that this isn't the case."

Two points of interest here. First Lanxess Canada here in Elmira, Ontario are related to Monsanto likely via Bayer who own both companies. I'm underwhelmed to hear that science can be intentionally misrepresented after seeing it shamelessly abused here over the last 25-30 years. Second I have repeatedly warned that the representation of Glyphosate concentrations in our drinking water here in Waterloo Region is inadequate and deceptive. Glyphosate has the highest Method Detection Limit (MDL) of all toxic chemicals including herbicides and pesticides in the Region's Annual (Drinking Water) Reports. Hence reading that the concentrations are less than 25 parts per billion (ppb) when the other chemicals have MDLs of less than 1 or 5 ppb is not satisfactory. Nor are the very high Ontario Drinking Water Standards adequate if they too are based upon flawed science.