Environmentalists believe this surfactant is just one of the unpublicized agents and that other poisonous pesticides are added to create a glyphosate-based cocktail spray. According to the State Department, the spray should kill coca, is used responsibly, and does not destroy soil, prevent plant growth, or contaminate water. Neither, reports the State Department, does the herbicide Roundup harm farm animals or humans. Obviously, something is amiss. Water is contaminated, fish are dead in aquaculture ponds, and livestock and small livestock died.
People have rashes, oozing boils, and are nauseous and vomiting.
Women experience miscarriages and give birth to children are born with birth defects. Medical studies find links between these symptoms and exposure to glyphosate. Local contacts believe the damage goes even beyond these obvious health problems. A mayor as well as the official from the 24th Brigade expressed concern that the delicate biosystem is being destroyed. The environmental organization Corpo Amazonia, funded by the Colombian government, articulated the need for microbiological soil and water analytical work to document the magnitude of the environmental damage.