BREAKFAST AT MONSANTO'S

A physician sounds the alarm about the danger of pesticides to humans in this debut health care book.

As a pediatrician and primary care doctor on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, Evslin was troubled when he read a 2012 American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement about pesticide exposure in children. At the same time, controversy flared over pesticides supposedly being used to treat chemical seeds and coffee crops on the island. Two years later, the author became a member of a state-commissioned task force on pesticides. His exposure to information about the potential health effects of pesticides led him to conceive of this work, which, he writes, “describes why pesticide-free produce should possibly be a priority for all of us.” Appropriately excerpting salient quotes from Rachel Carson’s landmark environmental book Silent Spring, Evslin begins with a discussion of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, a herbicide created by Monsanto. The author cites sobering research suggesting a strong correlation between the prolific use of glyphosate on edible crops and the increased incidence of health problems and diseases. According to Evslin, glyphosate-based herbicides “are the most heavily sprayed herbicides in the world.” He refers to many research studies indicating glyphosate’s danger to numerous species, including humans. Not surprisingly, he notes, companies who produce GBHs and other pesticides claim they are safe. At times, the author strays from his primary message about GBHs, addressing, for example, multiple reasons for human obesity and depression. But in chapter after chapter, research findings combine with Evslin’s blunt yet insightful observations to raise questions and concerns about the widespread use of GBHs. The author also convincingly assails the Environmental Protection Agency for its “deeply flawed” findings in studying the relationship of glyphosate to cancer. At the end of the book, Evslin includes suggested actions to take as an individual and “as a member of society,” although some, such as “Try not to eat nonorganic foods that contain soy, corn, or canola,” are truly challenging. Still, the author’s idealism is to be admired, as is his impassioned plea for creating “a government and corporate ethic that evaluates all scientific advances against possible harms.”

A well-researched warning about pesticides worth heeding.