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A A recent study published by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin points out that glyphosate, a very common chemical, is responsible for the contamination of intestinal bacteria in honey bees. The study, titled "Glyphosate disrupts the gut microbiota of honey bees", was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and states that exposure to glyphosate disrupts intestinal bacteria and makes bees more vulnerable to disease. Glyphosate is the main ingredient in Monsanto's famous Roundup herbicide.
"Bees rely on a specialized gut microbiota that promotes growth and protects against pathogens," the researchers write. "The exposure of bees to glyphosate alters the intestinal community of bees and increases their susceptibility to infections by opportunistic pathogens." The researchers investigated the effects of glyphosate exposure on specific size and composition intestinal bacteria. "We found that the microbiome was affected by glyphosate exposure during and after intestinal colonization and that glyphosate exposure at the beginning of intestinal colonization increased the mortality of bees exposed to an opportunistic pathogen. "
In addition, the researchers note that some species in the intestine can withstand higher concentrations of glyphosate due to the presence of a specific enzyme while others are sensitive due to the presence of & dquo; Another enzyme.
Bayer AG, the new parent company of Monsanto Co, issued its own statement claiming that the study was unreliable due to the small sample of individual bees and that the study was not responding international guidelines on pesticide research. The chemical company also said that it was "doubtful that open-pit bee populations could absorb concentrations of the test substance for a given period of time."
The study comes as Bayer and Monsanto continue to fight claims that their products cause cancer in humans.
In early August, a California jury ruled that Monsanto had not informed Dewayne Johnson and other consumers about the dangers of the company's chemical preparations. The jury awarded a $ 289 million prize to Dewayne Johnson, a former school caretaker who said that Monsanto's glyphosate herbicides had given him cancer. Johnson told the jury that he had been involved in two accidents during his work during which he was knocked out by Monsanto's Roundup, the first of which took place in 2012. In 2014, Johnson was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Monsanto now claims that the available evidence is insufficient to support Johnson's claims.
The company said in motions filed in the California Superior Court of San Francisco that the jury's decision was insufficiently supported by the evidence presented at trial by school gardener Dewayne Johnson. Reuters reports that Monsanto has appealed to San Francisco Superior Court Judge Suzanne Bolanos to dismiss the verdict, reduce the price, or grant the company a new trial. The motion will be heard on October 10. Monsanto is also facing 8,000 similar lawsuits across the United States and the Vietnamese government has recently discussed the possibility of filing lawsuits against this much-maligned company.
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The articles published in our Daily Digests section are chosen based on the interest of our readers. They are republished from several sources and are not produced by MintPress News. The opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of MintPress News.
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