Just read, heed labels
Diana Duff’s comments of July 10 on glyphosate were wildly inaccurate and a disservice to readers. Glyphosate has been commonly used worldwide for over 40 years with a stellar safety record.
Were it as dangerous as Duff claims, it would not have been allowed on the market when in fact it is not even a “restricted use” product. EPA required testing demonstrated that glyphosate was of very low toxicity to mammals and other non-target species nor is it a carcinogen or teratogen or a dermal toxin. People who have tried to commit suicide by ingesting glyphosatecan attest to the low toxicity of glyphosate.
As to the impact of glyphosate to soil ecology: glyphosate is applied to the soil at 1 or 2 pounds per acre. An acre-inch of soilweighs 200,000 lbs. Furthermore, glyphosate that makes it to the soil is immediately and tightly bound to the soil. It is unavailable to plant roots and emerging shoots. Far from killing microbes, glyphosate is biodegraded by microbes in soil and water.
Disregard the alarmists. Just read and heed the label.
Philip Motooka, retired weed, soil scientist
Kailua-Kona