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"In my mind, if we are wanting to reduce herbicide concentrations that are problematic in streams and groundwater, this is one way of doing this," Shipitalo added. But others point out that there are still problems with the bigger picture. "One of the main issues here is that glyphosate and glufosinate are not used in the absence of other herbicides," Loux said. "For example, atrazine is still widely used in glufosinate- and glyphosate-resistant corn," he said, in part to combat the growing problem of weed resistance resulting from widespread use of these herbicides, especially glyphosate. "Weed resistance is really reaching epidemic proportions," said Bill Freese, a science policy analyst at the Center for Food Safety, an advocacy organization in Washington, D.C.. Other studies have raised concerns that one of the compounds that is often mixed with glyphosate as part of the herbicide formulation can cause problems to amphibians, noted William Battaglin at the U.S. Geological Survey in Denver, Co. However, the composition of these formulations is proprietary and many different formulations are available so it is difficult to track this problem, he and others said. Battaglin has also studied the concentration of herbicides in streams and lakes and found that "a little less glyphosate is being lost" than other herbicides. Still, he and others point out that usage is going through the roof as these crops spread. And with companies reaping huge profits from the sale of the genetically engineered seeds and the herbicides that go with them, Battaglin feels uneasy. "It's a little disturbing to have that chain of control over that product," he said. Related Links: |
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