What's the problem with Roundup? Birth Sovereignty Members join Greener Hawaii to get the word o

WHAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH ROUNDUP? According to an Earth Open Source report, the pesticide industry and EU regulators knew as long ago as the 1980s that Roundup, the world’s best-selling herbicide, causes birth defects – but they failed to inform the public.

Senator Josh Green and hundreds of others have worked tirelessly on this problem of pesticide exposure, sponsoring legislation in Hawaii to protect our children.

The American Pediatric Association has published a position paper encouraging all physicians to advocate for reducing the exposure of children (who are the most vulnerable) to pesticides and other toxic chemicals.

As stated on the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit at UCSF (PEHSU) website, “To properly grow, develop, and thrive, pregnant women and children need clean air to breathe; clean water to drink; safe food to eat; and healthy places to live, learn, and play. In many communities across North America, the vulnerabilities of pregnant women, children, and adolescents are not fully understood and they are exposed to environmental risks that can seriously harm their health. Most healthcare providers are not adequately trained to recognize environmentally-related risks or health problems in pregnant women, children, and adolescents."

Three of Hawaii's Birth Sovereignty members, Dr. McGaff MD, Dr. Kassel ND, LAc, and Traditional Midwife Clare Loprinzi were inspired after attending the Hawaii Department of Health/JABSOM Medical School-sponsored PEHSU Children’s Environmental Health Symposium for medical professionals to help drastically reduce pesticide exposure for our pregnant mothers, newborns and children. The most common environmental hazards for these vulnerable groups are biological, chemical, and radiological hazards of which pesticides are the biggest problem.

The definition of pesticide is a chemical preparation for destroying plant, fungal or animal pests, including all of the following: herbicide, insecticides, nematicide, molluscicide, piscicide, avicide, rodenticide, bactericide, insect repellent, animal repellent, antimicrobial, fungicide, and disinfectant.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, pesticides are linked to childhood cancers, neurobehavioral and cognitive deficits, adverse birth outcomes, and asthma.