(NaturalNews) Professor Gilles-Eric Seralini, a molecular biologist from the University of Caen in Normandy, France, recently received the 2015 Whistleblower Award for his eye-opening research that demonstrated the toxicity of Monsanto's herbicide Roundup. The award was presented by the Federation of German Scientists (VDW) and the German Section of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA), who also gave the award to former U.S. drone pilot Brandon Bryant, who spoke out against secret drone wars.

Seralini's award obviously had a great deal to do with his research, but it also had a lot to do with his efforts once his team's research was published and then subsequently retracted. You see, he soon became the center of a smear campaign, which VDW and IALANA say stemmed from "interested circles" within the chemical industry. Are we surprised? They also maintain that the UK Science Media Centre got in on it, bent on keeping Seralini's findings as far from the public eye as possible. Unfortunately, they succeeded; the first journal that published the research, Food and Chemical Toxicology, retracted the article.

Standing up for rights in the face of adversity

However, Seralini didn't walk away from the situation with his tail between his legs. There was no way he would give in to rude tactics designed to undermine his research and deceive the public. Instead, he fought back along with his team, and the research was eventually published in another journal, Environmental Sciences Europe. It was this steadfast determination in the face of adversity that also got the attention of VDW and IALANA; just as important as his research was the fact that he didn't turn away from his professional ethics.

This is what VDW and IALANA had to say about Seralini's efforts, both on the research front and in fighting back to get the research published:

[It] gained him the worldwide support of many scientists who defended the methods he chose and deemed his research results to represent genuine scientific progress. He greatly furthered the scientific debate on the health risks of the glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup. He revealed systemic weaknesses in the accreditation process for herbicides in particular and pesticides in general. So once again it can clearly be seen that the preservation of our health depends on whistleblowers.

Chemical violence, health issues and public response

By now, people are aware of the issue of glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto's herbicide Roundup. While Monsanto and other fraudulent GMO folks stick to the same old "it's safe" story, others know better: chemical violence is running rampant and glyphosate is destroying health around the globe.

Let's not forget that a division of the World Health Organization, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, stated in its March 2015 report that glyphosate is "probably carcinogenic to humans" and that assessments of it suggest "sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity."

Let's also not forget that many places are banning the use of the cancer-causing chemical entirely or are at least in the process of encouraging governments to do so. In May, Germany's ministers called for a EU-wide ban on glyphosate. Many other areas, ranging from Chile and Sri Lanka to France and South Africa, are standing up to Monsanto. They're engaged in efforts that demand truthful advertising standards from Monsanto and pushing for businesses to ban the sale of both the company's toxic weed killers and GMO strains.

The sad truth is that glyphosate had been repeatedly linked to a host of health problems. Everything from cancers and brain issues to reproductive horrors and inflammatory bowel disease are associated with exposure to the chemical.

Professor Seralini deserves a big round of applause. His research and efforts are precisely what the ethical world needs more of.

Sources for this article include:
GMWatch.org
Neu.vdw-ev.de^[PDF]
IARC.fr^[PDF]
NaturalNews.com
UltraCulture.org
NaturalNews.com