The world according to Monsanto : pollution, corruption, and

88 the world according to monsantodamage to the air, water, land and biodiversity caused by the spraying is violatingvarious human rights.”The statement indicated that the herbicide used was Roundup Ultra, towhich two surfactants had been added, Cosmo-Flux 411F and Cosmo-InD,whose function was to multiply the “effectiveness” of the product by four. Inaddition, the concentrations used in the mixtures prepared by the Colombianarmy under the guidance of North American colleagues were “morethan five times greater than levels for aerial application recognized as safe bythe US Environmental Protection Agency.” Finally, “application methodsused contradict the manufacturer’s recommendations and exacerbate humanand environmental harms. For example, the Roundup Ultra manufacturerrecommends that aerial application not occur more than 10 feet abovethe top of the largest plants unless a greater height is required for aircraftsafety. However, according to the Colombian antinarcotics police, the aerialherbicide application program flies aircraft 10–15 meters [approximately25–30 feet] above the tops of the largest plants.” This, of course, meant thespread of the herbicide over a large area.What can be said in the face of yet another scandal profitable to Monsanto?Nothing except to point to the directions for use that now appear oncontainers of Roundup Ultra sold in the United States: “Roundup will killalmost any green plant that is actively growing. Roundup should not be appliedto bodies of water such as ponds, lakes, or streams as Roundup can beharmful to certain aquatic organisms. After an area has been sprayed withRoundup, people and pets (such as cats and dogs) should stay out of thearea until it is thoroughly dry. We recommend that grazing animals such ashorses, cattle, sheep, goats, rabbits, tortoises, and fowl remain out of thetreated area for two weeks. If Roundup is used to control undesirable plantsaround fruit or nut trees, or grapevines, allow twenty-one days before eatingthe fruits or nuts.”Extracted through the vigilance of North American consumer organizations,these warnings obviously did not apply to the poor peasants and Indiansof Colombia. One might conclude, a little hastily, that Monsanto hadlearned the lessons of its inglorious past and that it was now more cautiouswhen it came to the health of its fellow citizens. But, as the history of bovinegrowth hormone will show, it meant nothing of the kind.