Dear Ministers,

I refer you to the reply from the Office of Chemical Safety (Dept of Health and Aging) regarding the Tasmanian ASCHEM Council’s advice not to monitor for glyphosate in Tasmania’s river water pesticide monitoring programme.

Tasmania would seem to be the only State that does not monitor for this most widely used pesticide, and it seems that the responsibility for this from a human and environmental health perspective, sits squarely with the Minister of DPIPWE.

I enclose further information on glyphosate, RoundUp and the triazines e.g.atrazine.

I understand that DPIPWE is able to determine what pesticides are used in Tasmania as the State is legally responsible for the control of pesticide use after their point of sale.
I have seen no documentation from DPIPWE or ASCHEM Council as to their scientific rationale with regard to the safety of the triazines, for their continued use in Tasmania.

I have also seen no documentation on the safety of aerially spraying pesticides onto upper and mid drinking water river catchments (mostly short and fast flowing rivers) in Tasmania.

Regards
Alison

Dr Alison Bleaney OBE (Tasmanian Public and Environmental Health Network)

Download, what the government told Dr Bleaney:
D11031829_-_Bleaney_-_Response.pdf

Glysophate summary:

In 2010, Hancock used 59,772 litres of Roundup. 7,650 kg’s – across many water supplies in Victoria.

…researchers have found that one of Roundup’s inert ingredients can kill human cells, particularly embryonic, placental and umbilical cord cells… Nearly 4,000 inert ingredients are approved for use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency…But in the new study, scientists found that Roundup’s inert ingredients amplified the toxic effect on human cells—even at concentrations much more diluted than those used on farms and lawns. One specific inert ingredient, polyethoxylated tallowamine, or POEA, was more deadly to human embryonic, placental and umbilical cord cells than the herbicide itself – a finding the researchers call “astonishing.”… The research team suspects that Roundup might cause pregnancy problems by interfering with hormone production, possibly leading to abnormal fetal development, low birth weights or miscarriages….Last month, an environmental group petitioned Argentina’s Supreme Court, seeking a temporary ban on glyphosate use after an Argentine scientist and local activists reported a high incidence of birth defects and cancers in people living near crop-spraying areas. Scientists there also linked genetic malformations in amphibians to glysophate. In addition, last year in Sweden, a scientific team found that exposure is a risk factor for people developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Inert ingredients are often less scrutinized than active pest-killing ingredients…
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/roundup-weed-killer-is-toxic-to-human-cells.-study-intensifies-debate-over-inert-ingredients

In January, well-known plant pathologist and retired Purdue University professor Don Huber sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack warning of tests that indicated glyphosate could be contributing to spontaneous abortions and infertility in pigs, cattle and other livestock. Another study being looked at by the EPA cited detectable concentrations of glyphosate in the urine of farmers and their children in two U.S. states. Higher levels were found in farmers who did not wear protective clothing when they used glyphosate or who otherwise improperly handled it…The agency also said it is looking at a study partly sponsored by the EPA and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that found some users of glyphosate were observed to have a higher risk of multiple myeloma, a cancer affecting bone marrow, than people who never used the chemical. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/08/us-glyphosate-epa-idUSTRE7374WX20110408

Very low doses of some types of the herbicide Roundup can disrupt human liver cell function; the formulations’ toxicity may be tied to their “inactive” ingredients rather than the active weed-killing ingredient glyphosate. French scientists report that a number of Roundup formulations tested at very dilute concentrations can alter hormone actions and cause human liver cells to die within 24 hours of treatment… In the study, exposure of a single gene regulated by either estrogen or androgen hormones demonstrated that all formulations disrupt hormone function more efficiently than purified glyphosate. The findings show that the formulations act against the hormones to produce anti-estrogenic and anti-androgenic effects. http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/roundup-mix-more-toxic-to-liver-cells-than-glyphosate/

“… the widely-used herbicide Roundup causes birth defects as well as “endocrine disruption, damage to DNA, reproductive and developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity, and cancer” at amounts similar to pesticide residue found on produce… Research dating back to 1980 showed that glyphosate, the active chemical in Roundup, caused birth defects in laboratory animals….More recently, a new pathogen that causes miscarriages in animals was discovered in genetically-modified crops treated with Roundup. Don Huber, professor emeritus at Purdue University, has written to US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, asking for a moratorium on the deregulation of Roundup Ready crops. Dr. Huber also cited that glyphosate causes plant diseases and alters plants, which can lead to animal disorders.” http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474979422521

“…the main active ingredient in Roundup causes malformations in frog and chicken embryos at doses far lower than those used in agricultural spraying and well below maximum residue levels in products presently approved in the European Union. The Carrasco group was led to research the embryonic effects of glyphosate by reports of high rates of birth defects in rural areas of Argentina where Monsanto’s genetically modified “Roundup Ready” (RR) soybeans are grown in large monocultures sprayed from airplanes regularly. http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=21251

Atrazine:

Environmental News Network
http: //www.enn.com/
Atrazine
Atrazine is a widely used herbicide. Its use is controversial due to widespread contamination in drinking water and its associations with birth defects and menstrual problems when consumed by humans at concentrations below government standards. Although it has been banned in the European Union, it is still one of the most widely used herbicides in the world. An international team of researchers has reviewed the evidence linking exposure to atrazine — an herbicide widely used in the U.S. and more than 60 other nations — to reproductive problems in animals. The team found consistent patterns of reproductive dysfunction in amphibians, fish, reptiles and mammals exposed to the chemical. T he researchers looked at studies linking atrazine exposure to abnormal androgen (male hormone) levels in fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals and studies that found a common association between exposure to the herbicide and the feminization of male gonads in many animals.
http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/43632

And, Obesity & pesticides: The untold story | Pesticide Action Network

http://www.panna.org/blog/obesity-pesticides-untold-story