By simply muttering the word Monsanto in front of almost anyone, you are sure to be met with intensely heated emotion. However, if you haven’t read much into going on, you may be wondering what all the fuss is about.
As you make your way through the list of products offered by this corrupt corporation, it won’t take you long to see the pattern in their offerings.
1. Saccharin
Monsanto was founded in St. Louis, Missouri with the very goal of producing saccharin for Coca-Cola. While the calorie empty sugar product seemed to be a success at first, it wasn’t long before science began to study the chemical only to find that it caused cancer in test subject mice and rats.
2. Round-Up
Monsanto founded the Agricultural Chemicals division around the production of herbicides, specifically, RoundUp (glyphosate.) While it was quite effective at removing all traces of weeds virtually overnight, it also gained quite a bit of popularity in the debate over the effects it could be having on both humans and the environment. Overall, it has been linked to the growth of superweeds, and has links to infertility and organ function.
3. Nuclear Weapons
After they acquired Thomas & Hochwalt Laboratories, Monsanto worked to develop a department to aid in the Manhattan Project during the years from 1943-1945, which was used to develop the atomic bombs for the Second World War.
4. DDT
In order to combat mosquito-transmitted malaria, Monsanto became one of the first manufacturers to use DDT as an insecticide. Unfortunately, after outside research was conducted, DDT was found to be quite toxic and was later banned from the U.S.
5. Polystyrene
Polystyrene, or styrofoam, is responsible for the most total hazardous waste on the planet. Studies between polystyrene have been conducted and have found links between the product and depression, headaches and fatigue.
6. Dioxin
Dioxin was included in a number or precursor products to agent orange named 2,4,5-T. Unfortunately, due to its ability to accumulate in the food chain, especially in the fatty tissues of animals, it had to be removed from the shelves. Monsanto has since been accused of trying to cover up its toxic effects.
7. Aspartame
Aspartame was discovered accidentally, when research on gastrointestinal hormones resulted in the finding of the especially sweet chemical. Unfortunately, during FDA trials, one test monkey died, and five others had seizures. However, the FDA pushed forward with its approval. Then years later, the U.S Department of Health and Human Services found 94 health issues associated with its use.
8. Bovine Growth Hormone
Growth hormones are used on cows to make them produce more milk. Sadly, their bodies aren’t made to mass produce, which causes the mass production to do a number on them. Symptoms include swollen udders, mastitis, and various cancers. Humans that consume the hormone have a higher risk for breast cancer, colon cancer and prostate cancer.
9. GMOs
GMOs were created under the guise of feeding the world, however, despite Monsanto’s claims that GMOs were safe, no human testing has been conducted in order to better understand their effects.
10. Petroleum-Based Fertilizers
Petroleum based fertilizer kills the micro-organisms contained in soil, which causes the soil to become dependent on external stimulants to produce. Unfortunately, with the dependency being upon the petroleum-based soil, you can see where the problem is.
11. Agent Orange
While Agent Orange was known as an herbicide, it is most commonly associated with the Vietnam War. Agent Orange is responsible for over 400,000 deaths, and 500,000 more birth defects. To this day, people continue to suffer because of the detrimental implications of its use during the war.
12. PCBs
As with many of their other products, PCB’s were created to do something productive but failed. At first, PCBs were used to produce coolant fluids for electrical transformers, capacitors and electric motors. Now, years later, we understand the serious health issues associated with them including non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. PCBs are now banned from the U.S.
13. Terminator Seeds
During the late 1990’s, Monsanto began working to produce ‘Terminator Seeds’ which would force farmers to buy new seeds each year, instead of saving seeds from year to year. Thankfully, terminator seeds were never brought to the market, because their use was eradicated by a binding contract created between Monsanto and Farmers which forced farmers to use new seeds each year.
