And why did Congress just make it harder to fight back?
Commentary
Twelve of the fourteen companies that produce glyphosate—one of the most widely used and controversial agricultural chemicals on the planet—are based in China. They manufacture about 580,000 tons of it each year, but only use 10 percent of that supply domestically. The rest? They export it—mostly to us. The United States, Brazil, and Argentina are among their top customers.
We are literally paying China to poison us.
And now, thanks to our own Congress, it just got a whole lot harder to do anything about it.
Tucked deep inside the latest federal appropriations bill was a quiet little provision called Section 453. Most people didn’t see it. Most members of Congress either didn’t understand the long-term consequences—or they did and wanted plausible deniability. No roll call vote was requested. That means no one’s name is tied to it. It passed with a whisper. It felt like a piece of theater, as if the outcome was pre-decided.
Section 453 gives chemical companies legal immunity. Even if their products are linked to cancer, endocrine disruption, infertility, or neurological disease, those companies cannot be held liable in court unless the Environmental Protection Agency changes the label on their product—something that can take years, even decades. And while we wait, people get sick. Children suffer. Families are left without recourse.
“The toxicological impact of Section 453 could be catastrophic for all American children and future generations. The chemicals regulated under this provision are designed to be toxins, and many of them can impact the endocrine system and lead to infertility in humans. With no accountability – what future chemicals will this industry sell? This provision opens the door for an entire generation to become infertile,” toxicologist Alexandra Munoz stated.
That quote hits me hard, because I lived it.
I spent 12 years living inside Knollwood Golf Course in Granada Hills, California. It looked pristine and peaceful, with green grass and quiet views. But what I didn’t know at the time was that I was living in the middle of a toxic storm. Those manicured fairways are routinely and heavily sprayed with chemicals. For more than a decade, my family breathed them in. I raised my children there. I now wonder: what price did we pay for that view?
