In her famous 1970 record "Big Yellow Taxi," Canadian
singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell sang "Hey farmer, farmer, put
away that DDT now; give me spots on my apples, but leave me the
birds and the bees."
Pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), manufactured by
companies such as Monsanto, had become well-known in the 1960s for
being incredibly damaging to wildlife and in addition to causing
certain cancers in humans.
Not long after the song hits the charts and the pesticide was
banned for agricultural use, Monsanto began promoting Roundup
(glyphosate) in its place. Now, with recent warnings from the World
Health Organization (WHO) that Roundup is "probably
carcinogenic to humans," it may be time for an update of the
song lyrics: "Hey farmers and gardeners, put away that Roundup
now; leave weeds in your garden, but keep yourself
cancer-free."
