I went for dinner with a “what-if” guy last night.
You know the type. Smart, curious, intense.
We sat down, ordered wine, and for a while it was normal. Work, travel, you know.
I told him worked in R&D for 20 years.
Then he leaned across the table and asked, dead serious: 1/
You know the type. Smart, curious, intense.
We sat down, ordered wine, and for a while it was normal. Work, travel, you know.
I told him worked in R&D for 20 years.
Then he leaned across the table and asked, dead serious: 1/
“What if glyphosate causes cancer?”
I smiled. Not because it was a silly question - but because I knew what kind of evening this was going to be. Every course, another apocalypse.
So I answered: 2/
I smiled. Not because it was a silly question - but because I knew what kind of evening this was going to be. Every course, another apocalypse.
So I answered: 2/
Decades of studies, thousands of data points, trillions of meals eaten. Every major food safety authority - EFSA, EPA, WHO, Health Canada - has reviewed the evidence.
The verdict is the same: glyphosate isn’t carcinogenic at the levels people are exposed to.
And I added: 3/
The verdict is the same: glyphosate isn’t carcinogenic at the levels people are exposed to.
And I added: 3/
Everything is chemistry. Water, coffee, vitamins, even the wine we were drinking. “Chemical” doesn’t mean “bad.” It just means matter.
The waiter cleared our plates. My friend stepped out for a smoke. Then came his next line: 4/
The waiter cleared our plates. My friend stepped out for a smoke. Then came his next line: 4/
“What if glyphosate gets into our water?”
Sometimes it does, I told him - in trace amounts. But the question is always how much. When traces are found in water, they’re far below safety thresholds. Regulators check this constantly.
He came back in : 5/
Sometimes it does, I told him - in trace amounts. But the question is always how much. When traces are found in water, they’re far below safety thresholds. Regulators check this constantly.
He came back in : 5/
Smoke clinging to his jacket. Funny, I thought - no one ever asks “What if cigarettes cause cancer?” (They do. Tobacco kills half of its long-term users.)
By the main course, he was ready for another. He poured a glass of wine and asked: 6/
By the main course, he was ready for another. He poured a glass of wine and asked: 6/
“What if there are residues in our food?”
I glanced at his glass. He’d finished half a bottle by now.
Yes, I said. There are - in micrograms. But residue limits are set with massive safety margins, usually 100 times below anything that could cause harm. 7/
I glanced at his glass. He’d finished half a bottle by now.
Yes, I said. There are - in micrograms. But residue limits are set with massive safety margins, usually 100 times below anything that could cause harm. 7/
That’s toxicology 101. The dose makes the poison. A glass of wine is fine. Ten bottles will kill you. Same principle.
Funny how no one ever asks: “What if alcohol causes cancer?” (It does. It’s one of the strongest known carcinogens). He cut into his steak. He was frowning: 8/
Funny how no one ever asks: “What if alcohol causes cancer?” (It does. It’s one of the strongest known carcinogens). He cut into his steak. He was frowning: 8/
I nodded toward his plate. “You know what actually does increase cancer risk? Eating too much red meat.
WHO classifies processed meat as carcinogenic, and unprocessed red meat as probably carcinogenic. Cancer risk rises measurably with... 9/
WHO classifies processed meat as carcinogenic, and unprocessed red meat as probably carcinogenic. Cancer risk rises measurably with... 9/
...high consumption. That steak in front of you carries far more proven risk than glyphosate residues ever could.”
He frowned, chewed slowly, and fired back again: 10/
He frowned, chewed slowly, and fired back again: 10/
“What if glyphosate is killing the soil?”
It isn’t. Glyphosate targets a plant enzyme that people and animals don’t even have. In fact, it enables conservation tillage - less plowing, healthier soil, more carbon stored.
By dessert, he made one last push: 11/
It isn’t. Glyphosate targets a plant enzyme that people and animals don’t even have. In fact, it enables conservation tillage - less plowing, healthier soil, more carbon stored.
By dessert, he made one last push: 11/
“What if glyphosate is destroying biodiversity?”
That’s backwards, I said. Without herbicides, farmers would need more land.
Glyphosate helps farmers grow more on less land leaving space for nature.
He leaned back. The “what-ifs” had run out.
So I gave him one of my own: 12/
That’s backwards, I said. Without herbicides, farmers would need more land.
Glyphosate helps farmers grow more on less land leaving space for nature.
He leaned back. The “what-ifs” had run out.
So I gave him one of my own: 12/
“What if we banned glyphosate?”
What if farmers had to plow more, burning diesel and releasing millions of tons of CO₂?
What if yields fell and food prices spiked?
What if forests were cleared to make up the difference?
What if the poorest paid the highest price? 13/
What if farmers had to plow more, burning diesel and releasing millions of tons of CO₂?
What if yields fell and food prices spiked?
What if forests were cleared to make up the difference?
What if the poorest paid the highest price? 13/
The irony? He’d spent the night panicking about glyphosate.
But the three biggest, proven cancer risks in the room were already right in front of him:
the wine in his glass,
the steak on his plate,
and the cigarette he’d light on the walk home. 14/
But the three biggest, proven cancer risks in the room were already right in front of him:
the wine in his glass,
the steak on his plate,
and the cigarette he’d light on the walk home. 14/
The scariest “what-if” isn’t glyphosate. It’s what happens if we let fear, not facts, decide our future. 15/
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