Monsanto and Autism - Half of all kids by 2025?

[steveh_131]

Stephanie Seneff, a Senior Research Scientist at MIT, has released some intriguing research about the potential negative effects of Glyphosate (Roundup Weed-Killer). You can view her slide-show presentation here.

And you can find a more in-depth research paper here.

Her quote that seems to really garner the headlines:

“At today’s rate, by 2025, one in two children will be autistic,” Seneff said Thursday.

The evidence is not yet conclusive, in my opinion. But it is certainly troubling. I first researched this subject in a prior thread with research that indicated that environmental exposure to pesticides such as roundup was correlated with a 60% increase in the incidence of autism and other developmental disorders.

Direct link to the study: http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/advpub/2014/6/ehp.1307044.pdf

This graph shows a very strong correlation between glyphosate and autism diagnoses:

Note: Roundup-ready crops were introduced in 1996, causing a massive increase in the use of Roundup.

In her slideshow there are more graphs showing similar correlations to dementia, anxiety disorders, thyroid cancer, and even vaccine reactions. In addition, she presents her theories that explain the mechanisms of this damage caused by the poison in the human body, poking numerous holes in Monsanto's claims that it is non-toxic to humans.

Additionally, glyphosate levels are steadily rising in every food source, especially those fed to infants. A study found that American breast-milk had glyphosate levels 760-1600 times higher than what the European Drinking Water Directives allow. The large quantities of GMO corn and soy found in infant formulas ensures that bottle-fed babies receive huge doses of the pesticide as well.

The correlations are hard to ignore, but a causal link has not yet been completely established. I hope that more research in the future will shed some light on this, but Monsanto's influence on our government and the FDA makes it unlikely.

Note that the FDA and USDA do not currently test glyphosate levels in our food.

 

[bigelowe]

Holy hell. WTF

 

[PaulF]

Impressive. I certainly think more research is warranted. My cousin owns a small organic farm back south...think I'll pay her a visit this spring, I feel a sudden urge to expand my skill set.

 

[Roadie]

Are the cases of Autism actually increasing, or is it the number of diagnoses that is increasing?

And.. this..
Glyphosate Breast Milk Health Risk Claims Debunked | Academics Review

 

[Twangbanger]

The autism diagnosis point is a good one. The best we can hope for on this, is to keep people focused on the science and asking the questions.

BTW, make sure in your conversations with people about the subject, they really understand what GMO means to them. It's a vague term to many people. Explaining the "Roundup-Ready" crop aspect could be in order. They likely could care less what genes the plant has in it; but knowing Roundup is being carpet-bombed over what they eat is the connection they may not get. It's not the genetics per-se, it's the chemical applications the genetics make possible.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

And.. this..
Glyphosate Breast Milk Health Risk Claims Debunked | Academics Review

I know, I put glyphosate in my coffee every morning. It's great.

 

[steveh_131]

Are the cases of Autism actually increasing, or is it the number of diagnoses that is increasing?

Most experts agree that both are happening. It is impossible to determine the exact ratio.

And.. this..
Glyphosate Breast Milk Health Risk Claims Debunked | Academics Review

Did you read this article? It was pretty weak. It certainly didn't 'debunk' anything. It basically parrots the Monsanto talking points defending their product. If you read the study I linked above, you'll understand the deficiencies in those talking points.

BTW, make sure in your conversations with people about the subject, they really understand what GMO means to them. It's a vague term to many people. Explaining the "Roundup-Ready" crop aspect could be in order. They likely could care less what genes the plant has in it; but knowing Roundup is being carpet-bombed over what they eat is the connection they may not get. It's not the genetics per-se, it's the chemical applications the genetics make possible.

This is a very important point, thank you. There are certainly concerns regarding the nutritional content and safety of genetically modified foods, but this thread has nothing to do with that.

 

[OakRiver]

Monsanto? Former employer of Shannon Watts? Maybe Moms should Demand some Action over this

 

[phylodog]

At least we will have an excuse for the state of a once great nation.

 

[steveh_131]

At least we will have an excuse for the state of a once great nation.

I'm not following this. Would you mind elaborating a bit?

 

[phylodog]

I'm not following this. Would you mind elaborating a bit?

If we get to the point where 50% of this country has legitimate autism we would have an excuse for being the country we have become. As it stands now, we're just a nation of *******s.

 

[bingley]

If half of us are autistic, doesn't that mean we'll get fewer slick politicians and more great engineers and go back into manufacturing? Moreover, autistic kids are far less prone to crime than regular kids. It sounds like we should make glyphosate a mandatory additive to all school meals.

 

[steveh_131]

If half of us are autistic, doesn't that mean we'll get fewer slick politicians and more great engineers and go back into manufacturing? Moreover, autistic kids are far less prone to crime than regular kids. It sounds like we should make glyphosate a mandatory additive to all school meals.

There are some wonderful traits associated with ASD, but let's not forget that a good percentage of these are going to be low-functioning as well.

I don't think the parents of the kids on the lower-functioning end of the spectrum would agree with your school meals plan.

 

[jblomenberg16]

Are the cases of Autism actually increasing, or is it the number of diagnoses that is increasing?

And.. this..
Glyphosate Breast Milk Health Risk Claims Debunked | Academics Review

Exactly. Correlation doesn't always equal causation.

We are getting better at diagnosing disease as medicine advances. We are also probably diagnosing things that were otherwise undiagnosed 10+ years ago. Finally, the use of Roundup and other herbicides is increasing as well.


Still an interesting study. I'm not fully in the "al natural" camp, but we do intentionally do a natural garden each year. No chemicals other than 100% natural cow poop from the neighbor's farm. There is a chance they have some hormones and antibiotics as it is a small feeder beef operation, but that is minimal.

 

[steveh_131]

Exactly. Correlation doesn't always equal causation.

I feel like a few people skipped over the sentence in the original post agreeing that a causal link has not yet been established.

We are getting better at diagnosing disease as medicine advances. We are also probably diagnosing things that were otherwise undiagnosed 10+ years ago. Finally, the use of Roundup and other herbicides is increasing as well.

One of these studies analyzes the same population at the same snapshot in time. The variable is not time, the variable is their proximity to environmental sources of glyphosate. Close proximity resulted in a 60% higher incidence of ASD diagnoses. An increased rate of diagnosis over time can not explain this.

But yes, I do agree that the remaining statistics only show a distinct correlation, not a causal link. The research paper that I referenced provides a possible framework that could lead us to finding the causal link, and thoroughly debunks Monsanto's arguments for the complete safety of the product.

 

[ModernGunner]

So, is the study factual, or intended to 'prove' some pre-conceived notion and agenda, as many, many, many studies are?

Decades ago, 'everything' caused cancer. Several years ago, 'every' daycare center was a haven for child molesters. Today, it's 'everything' causes autism.

The challenge is to separate the facts from the and most of it's

 

[K_W]

It runs in my father's side of the family.

My father, my uncle, myself, my younger cousins, and my nephew are all on the Autism Spectrum

The severity appears to be worsening with each sucessive generation. All of us are diagnosed ASD.

My father and uncle (dad's younger brother) have just enought to register, I have a bit more, but I am a fully functional adult, requiring no medications or support... my teen and pre-teen years were rough though. My younger female cousin has it a bit worse than me, but could function as an independant adult but lives at home with her dad and my male cousin who has it bad. He can still function normally, but relies on his sister and his father for support. My sister's young son has it very bad and will likely need lifelong assistance. Her daughter is normal so far, but she has another boy on the way.

Our birth years are Dad 1956, Uncle 1960, Myself 1984, F cousin 1990, M Cousin 1993, Niece 2008 and Nefew 2011.

Glyphosate wasn't even discovered until 1970, but ASD first became a thing in the 1980's and only became well known in just the last 10 years.

Personally, I believe there may be a connection to WWII, my Grandfather served in the Mid-Pacific from 1944 to 1946 and stateside until 1950. Likely it could have been a different pesticide like DDT... the timeline fits that one better and the likely treated his base with it.

 

[steveh_131]

So, is the study factual, or intended to 'prove' some pre-conceived notion and agenda, as many, many, many studies are?

Why don't you read the research and find out?

Start here, with a study from the University of California. This was the conclusion:

For exposure (any vs. none) during pregnancy, children with ASD were 60 per cent more likely
to have organophosphates applied nearby the home (1.25km distance, aOR=1.60, 95% CI=1.02-
2.51) than mothers of TD children. Children with DD were nearly 150 per cent more likely to
have carbamate pesticides applied near the home during pregnancy (1.25km distance, aOR=2.48,
95% CI=1.04-5.91).

(Roundup is the most widely used organophosphate)

Decades ago, 'everything' caused cancer.

Yeah... turned out lots of those things really did cause cancer.

Today, it's 'everything' causes autism.

This is not true, if you've followed the research. It is generally believed to be a combination of genetic factors and environmental toxins causing disturbances in the gut. Trying to figure out which toxins is a challenge.

The severity appears to be worsening with each sucessive generation. All of us are diagnosed ASD.

I agree, there is an undeniable genetic component.

Glyphosate wasn't even discovered until 1970, but ASD first became a thing in the 1980's and only became well known in just the last 10 years.

Personally, I believe there may be a connection to WWII, my Grandfather served in the Mid-Pacific from 1944 to 1946 and stateside until 1950. Likely it could have been a different pesticide like DDT... the timeline fits that one better and the likely treated his base with it.

The research I linked suggests that the common factor is a disturbance in the gut bacteria causing all sorts of nutrient deficiencies and other problems, leading to damage during brain development. Do you think that DDT and glyphosate might both damage this bacteria population? That would fit the timeline quite well. There may be additional genetic factors that cause certain individuals to be more susceptible to these toxins than others.

Of course this is all just speculation until further research is done, but I do believe it warrants caution in the things we consume and the things we allow our children to be exposed to. The correlation between environmental exposure and ASD is particularly damning. I can't think of any other uncontrolled variables that could account for that.

 

[cobber]

So, is the study factual, or intended to 'prove' some pre-conceived notion and agenda, as many, many, many studies are?

Decades ago, 'everything' caused cancer. Several years ago, 'every' daycare center was a haven for child molesters. Today, it's 'everything' causes autism.

The challenge is to separate the facts from the and most of it's

And ADHD with the 'cure' Ritalin...

 

[jd4320t]

I'm not even going to pretend to be smart enough to understand half of this but no way I believe it's true. Like many others, friends and family, I was working in the fields for years with direct exposure to roundup every year. That plus eating the food had to raise my exposure way past a normal persons. If any of this is true why aren't we seeing a landslide in autistic farm kids?