When you hear the name Monsanto your first thought may be of one of their most popular products, Roundup. This synthetic herbicide is the most widely used around the world, yet its dangerous health side effects, including cancer, have made it one of their more controversial products. Some Monsanto products are so controversial that people have even organizing marches against it, are their genetically modified crops. Monsanto’s GMOs haven’t just had their DNA genetically altered; some have even been modified to be resistant to their own herbicide and are known as “Roundup” crops.
While Roundup and GMOs are infamous for having come from the Monsanto company, some may be surprised to learn which other ten dangerous products have also come from this company and together are known as “Monsanto’s Dirty Dozen”. This chart explores the way these twelve Monsanto products have been used around the world, as well as the health, genetic, and environmental effects that they have had on people, animals, and the Earth.
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What Is Monsanto Known For?
The Monsanto company is known for the widely-used agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology products it has produced since the company started in 1901. The majority of the Monsanto products were created for the agricultural industry, such as powerful pesticides and genetically modified crops. They lead the food industry in artificial sweeteners, and have even dabbled in creating weapons and chemical warfare for the military.
Monsanto’s Dirty Dozen
- Saccharin: An artificial sweetener that can be found in food, drinks, medicines, toothpaste, and gum.
- Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs): A man-made chemicals compound used in industrial and commercial applications.
- Polystyrene: A non-biodegradable synthetic polymer that is used in food packaging (Syrofoam) and other applications.
- Nuclear Weapons: Monsanto created weaponry to be used in warfare, including atomic bombs in WWII.
- DDT: A pesticide designed to combat malaria-transmitting mosquitoes that was also used as an insecticide for agriculture (Crops).
- Dioxin: A chemical pesticide found in herbicide 2.4, 5-T that contaminated Agent Orange when production of 2,4,5-T was accelerated during WWII.
- Agent Orange: A herbicide that defoliates trees and food crops that was used as chemical warfare during Vietnam War to kill the trees and crops that provided cover and food to the opposition. Monsanto’s formula was found to contain a large amount of dioxin.
- Petroleum-Based Fertilizer: A material that’s applied to soil and plants to aid in development in which it destroys beneficial soil micro-organisms, thus sterilizing the soil and making it entirely dependent on an external stimulant to support growth.
- Roundup (Glyphosate): A synthetic herbicide that destroys and controls weeds, it’s the most widely used herbicide around the world.
- Aspartame: An artificial sweetener used as a low-calorie sugar substitute in food and drinks.
- Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH): A genetically modified hormone injected into dairy cows to produce more milk.
- Genetically Modified Crops (GMOs): Crops that have had their DNA modified through genetic engineering and are engineered for resistance to pests, diseases, environmental conditions, or direct application of herbicide (Roundup).
The Effects These Products Had On Humanity and the Environment
There are many negative side effects that these twelve Monsanto products have had on the world. All but one have been attributed to causing cancer, a majority of them are known to have caused adverse health effects in both humans and animals; as well as hundreds of thousands of deaths, millions of injuries, and genetic damage in at least half a million people. The Earth has even felt the effects of these products with many causing environmental harm and creating pollution. Polystyrene, for example, is responsible for the most hazardous waste worldwide.
Do you use any of these twelve dangerous products in your own backyard, or in your food or drinks?