• There are several side effects that go along with using Finale Weed Killer.Pestizide ~ Traktor image by sun_orbiter from Fotolia.com
  
  While herbicides like Roundup and Finale have provided the human race with more food than ever before in its history, there are side effects to almost every chemical combination not found in nature. While most of these side effects are benign, there are several side effects of Finale Weed Killer which should be taken into account before spraying your field with the herbicidal compound.
  
  

Birth Defects

• While Finale (also marketed as Basta, Ignite, Liberty and Challenge under different companies) kills weeds around a crop without killing the crop itself, this is largely dependent on the crop being genetically modified to withstand the herbicide. This genetic modification interacts with the herbicide once it comes into contact with the plant and renders the weed killer inert. This means that some of the pesticide leaches into the edible parts of the plant. While inactive in the plant itself, there may be complications when the chemicals enter the human body. According to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Inspector General, "studies demonstrate that certain pesticides easily enter the brain of young children and fetuses, and can destroy cells."
  
  

Regeneration

• One side effect of consuming crops that have been sprayed with Finale is the possibility of regeneration of herbicidal chemicals in the body. The herbicide is rendered inert by the plant on contact by turning the poison glufosinate ammonium into a harmless enzyme called NAG. While the herbicide is harmless to the plant, a study on goats showed that upon digestion "more than one-third of what was excreted had turned into glufosinate." This means that although the plant had turned the poison into a harmless enzyme, our digestive chemicals can break the enzyme down, turning it back into poison which will then kill bacteria we use for digestion and maintaining a healthy colon.
  
  

Useless Seeds

• One of the most direct impacts of using Finale Weed Killer under any of its names is the lack of seed at the end of the harvest. These weed killers specify the use of certain genetically modified seeds which must be purchased directly from the manufacturer every year. The vegetables then produce seeds which may not have the correct genetic modification and cannot be planted in ground where Finale herbicide is present. This means farmers must continue to buy fresh seed every year in order to maintain the yield from their herbicide-sprayed land.