There are massively disturbing ethical, environmental, and health concerns that make the introduction of Frankenfish highly controversial. AquaBounty insists that their creation poses no threat to wild salmon populations. But research found that a release of just sixty GE salmon into a wild population of 60,000 would lead to the extinction of the wild population in less than 40 fish generations. Every year, millions of farmed fish escape from fish farms into the wild. As to sterile fish, at present, there is no guaranteed method to produce 100% sterility.See also:
There are more than 9,000 claims pending against Monsanto in state courts, about 620 awaiting trial in federal court...
Bayer CEO Werner Baumann called the lawsuits "nuisances." But the company's stock took a big hit after the jury sided with Johnson, so shareholders probably aren't thrilled with Chhabria's ruling this week.
Meanwhile, in other bad news for Monsanto . . .
Here are a couple more developments that probably have Bayer wishing it never got tangled up with Monsanto:
- Although we're still awaiting official confirmation, word on the street is that Costco will discontinue retail sales of Roundup and other glyphosate-based weedkillers. Moms Across America reports that the product will not be on Costco shelves this spring. If true, this is a big deal that could lead other retailers, such as Lowe's, Home Depot and Walmart to follow suit.
- On January 15, a French court banned the sale of Roundup Pro 360 to professional gardeners and farmers in France. The ruling came less than a month after France banned all pesticides from public green spaces, and also banned over-the-counter sales of pesticides to home gardeners.
- The court cited the failure of France's food and environmental safety agency ANSES to weigh the potential safety risks of Roundup Pro 360, when the agency reauthorized its use, in March 2017.
- A new study published in Environmental Research and Public Health reveals a link between premature death from Parkinson's disease and exposure to glyphosate and paraquat. Glyphosate had previously been linked to Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders.
Doctors and nurses frequently try to discourage their patients from turning to the internet for answers. And yet patients will continue to Google their symptoms and medications because the internet doesn't require an appointment or a long wait, it is not rushed, it doesn't judge, it doesn't require a hefty co-pay and it often provides information that seems simple to understand.1
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