Dave Schubert has been an outspoken critic of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) for some time. In this talk, he focuses on his concerns about glyphosate, the active ingredient in a common herbicide used on crops in the United States. Monsanto is a company that has incorporated GMOs into food production. They created an herbicide, Roundup, that can be used with the modified plants they maintain patents on, and those genetically altered crops and Roundup are supposed to work together to produce better food free of pests.
But there have been many questions raised about the safety of Roundup. Industry funded studies have shown it is safe, but California just labeled it a carcinogen. And while it seems like eating organic food or staying away from GMOs will help you avoid Roundup, this talk discusses how it's becoming very hard to avoid the herbicide; it is now being sprayed on crops that are not genetically modified.
It's known that our bodies harbor glyphosate - it is easily detected in urine - and consumers would do well to put pressure on industry to take a hard look at how safe this chemical actually is, and whether low-level exposure to the chemical is causing harm to human health. Schubert wants to know whether widespread exposure to Roundup is one reason why there are increasing rates of disease in our society.
