Glyphosate not that safe

(letters, Thursday, 6th April) about the use of glyphosate, I would challenge the advice of the Health and Safety Executive that glyphosatebased herbicides are safe.

Much of the research in favour of glyphosate has been funded by Monsanto, who make huge profits from the sale of it, so we cannot rely on this evidence.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer has found strong evidence that glyphosatebased herbicides can trigger DNA damage to cells, and oxidative stress, causing or accelerating cancerous cell growths.

In the US in 2018 in the case of Johnson versus Monsanto Company, after weeks of trial proceedings, the jury issued a unanimous verdict ordering Monsanto to pay 250 million dollars in punitive damages and 39.2 million in compensatory damages for failing to warn customers that exposure to Roundup weed killer causes cancer.

This is only one of hundreds of cases brought against Monsanto.

I am very concerned about the health of the council staff who apply glyphosate over long periods, about the general public passing along treated streets, and about the effects on the insect population.

I am pleased that Gosport Council is considering alternative methods of weed control that are already being used by other councils, but Fareham Council seems to be intransigent.

We really need to adjust our perception of ‘weeds’ as unsightly.

They provide a muchneeded habitat for insects, and round trees, they hold moisture in the ground. I therefore urge Gosport and Fareham Councils to stop using glyphosate-based herbicides without delay.

Jane Staffieri

Fareham and Gosport Green Party

Station Road

Gosport