Roundup

Neil Jones Neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk
Thu Mar 23 08:47:21 EST 2000


In article <38d55d3f.660033693 at news.calweb.com>
           see.signature at bottom.com "gary gaugler" writes:

> > Neil Jones said:-
> >Anne is of course right. The poison in Roundup prevents certain 
> >organisms with a particular metabolic pathway from producing proteins
> >and they die. This includes a large range of soil organisms.
> >For those who want more detail Glyphosate is chemically
> >N-phosphonomethylglycine and it blocks the action of the enzyme
> >5-enolpyruvykshikimate-3-phosphate Synthase which catalyses an important
> >step in the synthesis of aromatic amino acids.
> >It also hangs around in the environment for a while too.
> 
> Since when is a salt a poison?

Many salts are poisons Lead Nitrate, sulphate etc.,
any salt of mercury, thalium, etc.
Sodium Cyanide is also Salt it is hardly harmless.

I am very very suprised at this question.
 
> Where is your data for saying that "it hangs around in the environment
> for a while too?"  Exactly how long is "a while?"

Well I based my statement on having seen a half-life of 60 days in a paper 
somewhere. I have as a result of this discussion seen 47 days quoted.
I suspect it varies. This means that it hangs about in the soil for some
time. Incidentally before someone tries to claim that it is inactivated
on contact with the soil. This is not truthful as its behaviour depends on the
soil type.

> 
> 
> Gary Gaugler,  Ph.D. 

-- 
Neil Jones- Neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk http://www.nwjones.demon.co.uk/
"At some point I had to stand up and be counted. Who speaks for the
butterflies?" Andrew Lees - The quotation on his memorial at Crymlyn Bog
National Nature Reserve


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