Toxicology web site

Since there has been so much discussion and confusion about the 
toxicology of herbicides and pesticides, I thought I'd point people
to the Extension Toxicology Network run by Oregon State.  It has the
data sheets filed by the companies of lots of products (both chemical
and organic based) which answers questions such as is the carcinogenic?
What does it do to the soil?  What does the run-off do to fish?  etc.
For example, one small section about Round-up includes:

ENVIRONMENTAL FATE

     Glyphosate is highly adsorbed on most soils especially those
with high organic content.  The compound is so strongly attracted
to the soil that little is expected to leach from the applied
area.  Microbes are primarily responsible for the breakdown of
the product. The time it takes for half of the product to break
down ranges from 1 to 174 days.  Because glyphosate is so tightly
bound to the soil, little is transferred by rain or irrigation
water.  One estimate showed less than two percent of the applied
chemical lost to runoff (4).  The herbicide could move when
attached to soil particles in erosion run-off. 
Photodecomposition plays only a minor role in environmental
breakdown.

     In water, glyphosate is strongly adsorbed to suspended
organic and mineral matter and is broken down primarily by
microorganisms also.  Its half-life in pond water ranges from 12
days to 10 weeks.

     Glyphosate may be extensively metabolized by some plants
while remaining intact in others (2).  Once in the plant tissue,
the chemical is translocated throughout the plant, including to
the roots.

The URL is http://ace.ace.orst.edu/info/extoxnet/ghindex.html

				Amy (in Dallas)

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