"Stephen M. Henning" wrote in message .. .
Chris Owens wrote:

Well, there's no question that RoundUp cuts a pretty wide swath
through the invertebrates that encounter it.

Yes there is a question. I spray with RoundUp every year around my
rhododendrons and the mice, deer, turkeys, squirrels, etc. are just as
numerous or more numerous than ever. I use a hand sprayer. I haven't
seen one dead animal or insect. It only kills plants.

When a person uses a statement like "there's no question" or "it goes
without saying" or "it is obvious that", then you know they don't have
any facts.

Since when are "mice, deer, turkeys, squirrels" invertibrates? Or do
you know as little about writing as you do about fact-finding?

http://www.google.com/search?sourcei...undup+toxicity

http://www.naturescountrystore.com/roundup/page4.html

Research on RoundUp's Toxicity--Part I

Ingestion of RoundUp has been shown to cause "irritation of the oral
mucous membrane and gastrointestinal tract…pulmonary dysfunction,
oliguria, metabolic acidosis, hypotension, leukocytosis and fever."

Monsanto's own toxicologist, Rebecca Tominack, participated in this
study.

(Tominack RL, Yang GY, Tsai WJ, Chung HM, Deng JF, 1991. Taiwan
National Poison Center survey of glyphosate-surfactant herbicide
ingestions. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol 1991; 29 (1): 91-109)

Many people report experiencing severe digestive problems related to
irritation of their gastrointestinal tract after overexposure to
RoundUp, limiting the foods their bodies will tolerate to a very few
bland foods.

This is believed to be related to the fact that in a 1983 study by
Heitanen, Linnainmaa and Vainio, RoundUp's main ingredient,
glyphosate, was shown to decrease the hepatic level level of
cytochrome P-450, monooxygenase activities, and the intestinal
activity of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase.

The inhibition of erythrocyte glutathione conjugate transport by
polyethoxylated surfactants has also been reported in a 1993 letter to
FEBS from studies done by P. G. Board, part of the Molecular Genetics
Group, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National
University, Canberra.

Glutathione is a tripeptide which the body produces from the amino
acids cysteine, glutamic acid, and glycine. Glutathione is a powerful
antioxidant produced in the liver, where it detoxifies harmful
compounds so that they can be excreted through the bile. The
glutathione released from the liver directly into the bloodstream
helps to maintain the integrity of red blood cells and protect white
blood cells. Glutathione is also found in the lungs. In the
intestinal tract, it is needed for carbohydrate metabolism, and also
appears to exert anti-aging effects, aiding in the breakdown of
oxidized fats that may contribute to atherosclerosis. Glutathione's
role in carbohydrate metabolism is compromised by the effect of
RoundUp's surfactant, POEA, on erythrocyte glutathion conjugate
transport.

RoundUp causes damage to the liver that inhibits the liver's ability
to process toxic substances.

Research subject animals injected with glyphosate evidenced a
depressed function of the liver. "Glyphosate decreased the hepatic
function of cytochrome P-450 and monoxygnease activities and the
intestinal activity of aryl hydrocarbon hydrolase." (Heitanen et al,
1983). The P-450 enzyme system is one of the main body systems for
detoxifying harmful chemicals. When it becomes impaired by those same
chemicals it is supposed to be detoxifying, the effects of a given
chemical on the body increase dramatically.

(Heitanen, et al., 1983. Effects of phenoxyherbicides and glyphosate
on the hepatic and intestinal biotransformation activities in the rat.
Acta Pharmacol Toxicol (Copenh) 1983 Aug; 53(2):103-12.)

Testing of patients suffering RoundUp overexposure has indicated
damage to their P-450 enzyme system.

Roundup produces significant increases in sister-chromatid exchanges
(SCE), albeit in higher concentrations over those used for other
pesticides. This suggests that it should be evaluated in other
genetic tests measuring mutations and chromosome aberrations, although
few studies of this nature have yet been done.

A 1980 study by Vigfusson and Vyse noted sister-chromatid exchanges in
human lymphocytes in vitro. This lymphocyte disturbance correlates
with the swelling experienced by persons poisoned by RoundUp.

(Vigfusson, N.V. and Vyse, E.R. (1980), "The effect of the pesticides,
Dexon, Captan, and Roundup, on sister-chromatid exchanges in human
lymphocytes in vitro". MUTATION RESEARCH, v.79 p.53-57.)

William Meggs, M.D., Ph.D., School of Medicine, East Carolina
University:

In patients who have been chemically injured, Meggs has noted
significant lymphatic hyperplasia, lymphatic tissue that is swollen
and engorged. He has also found significant cobblestoning in upper
airway passages. This represents chronic inflammation caused by
lymphocytes migrating out of the blood stream and seeping into the
tissues. Meggs has also noted thickening of the structure called the
basement membrane, the structure on which the lining of cells that
lines the interior of the nose sits. Meggs' study also found a defect
in the tight junctions (the joining of cells together) and a
proliferation of nerve fibers.

"Chemicals bind to receptors on nerve fibers and produce something
called neurogenic inflammation. These chemicals bind to these
receptors and cause the release of potent substances that produce
inflammation in tissue.

When chemicals bind to nerve fibers, they can produce inflammation.
Inflammation, in turn, produces other changes in the tissue, and it
brings in these lymphocytes. We believe that inflammation causes these
barrier cells to open up and sometimes even come off the basement
membrane. Below the basement membrane is the nerve fibers, so we have
a process whereby a chemical exposure will damage the lining of the
nose.

What happens is people have a large chemical exposure, they breathe in
noxious chemicals, and this damages the epithelium. This huge
exposure is able to penetrate this barrier we have between the
chemicals we breathe in and these nerve cells beneath the lining layer
that react to chemicals by producing inflammation. The inflammation,
in turn, produces substances that cause further damage to the lining
cell, and actually produce the substances which cause the tight
junctions between these cells to open up. In some cases the cells
actually come off and just leave these bare nerves exposed. Once you
have the bare nerves exposed, low levels of chemicals that we all
experience every day are enough to produce inflammation which in turn
keeps the epithelium damaged."

RoundUp was found to cause significant DNA damage to erythrocytes (red
blood cells) in a study done in 1997 by Clements, Ralph and Petras.
RoundUp's surfactant, POEA, is known to cause haemolysis.

(Clements C, Ralph S, Pertas M, 1997. Genotoxicity of select
herbicides in Rana catesbeiana tadpoles using the alkaline single-cell
gel DNA electrophoresis (comet) assay. Environ Mol Mutagen 1997;
29(3):277-288.)

(Sawada Y, Nagai Y, Ueyama M, Yamamoto I, 1988. Probable toxicity of
surface-active agent in commercial herbicide containing glyphosate.
Lancet. 1988 Feb 6;1(8580):299.)

In haemolysis, hemoglobin leaks from the red blood cells, leaving them
unable to transport sufficient supplies of oxygen to the body's
tissues.

The chest pains, difficulty breathing, and impaired cognitive skills
reported by persons who have sustained RoundUp poisoning also point to
impairment of the blood's oxygen transport system, hemoglobin, as
being responsible for these symptoms. This impairment of the
erythrocytes' ability to deliver adequate oxygen to both brain and
body results in impaired tissue perfusion and hypoxia.

"The brain is particularly vulnerable to hypoxia, and exposure to
toxins that interfere with the intake, transport and utilization of
oxygen provoke rapid and major neuronal damage. Compounds crossing
the blood-brain barrier may induce both general and extremely
localized neurotoxic effects."

(Kyvik KR, Morn BE, 1995. Environmental poisons and the nervous
system. Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen 1995. June 10; 115(15):1834-8.)

According to both the EPA and the World Health Organization in 1993
and 1994, glyphosate appears to mimic adrenaline. This would explain
the sleeping problems encountered by many persons exposed to RoundUp,
as for them, cortisol appears to no longer be properly regulated by
their bodies' adrenal glands.

(US EPA, 1993. EPA Reregistration Eligibility Document, Glyphosate,
Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, Washington,
D.C., September 1993.)

(IPCS, 1994. Environmental health criteria 159: Glyphosate.
International Programme of Chemical Safety, World Health Organization,
Geneva.)