Glyphosate

Penicillin overkill has created life-threatening bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. But now some new research shows that common herbicides used in farming can also breed resistant bacteria, and no one’s sure how that may affect humans.

Many of today’s synthetic pesticides are derived from chemical weapons developed during the First and Second World Wars. Today, in the US, chemical warfare is waged daily against weeds in industrial agriculture. It has become an escalating conflict, as unruly weeds rapidly adapt to new products. The latest weapon has stirred strong opposition from environmentalists, farmers and food safety advocates.

In Oregon, there’s rumblings of discontent over how much herbicide the state uses to keep its highway shoulders cleared. Some counties have pesticide-free promises, but that doesn’t apply to state roads. In some states, though, herbicides are on the decline.