WEEDKILLERS are sometimes accused of being health hazards. But Proctor &
Gamble of Cincinnati, Ohio, is now filing patent applications around the world
(W0 96/32103) which claim that some types of weedkiller can cure cancer.
The company says a mixture of systemic herbicides known as N
-chlorophenylcarbamates and N-chlorophenylthiocarbamates, with
N-phosphonoglycine derivatives, will inhibit the growth of tumours in
mammals, particularly humans. The same composition will also treat viral
infections such as herpes, HIV and influenza.
The patent claims that when taken orally, the concoction kills tumour cells
much more quickly than healthy cells.
