roundup/Glyphosate

[Guest guest]

sorry for the length, I clipped this from an organic list

Erik

 

 

Glyphosate

A review of its health and environmental effects

By Andre Leu

Glyphosate is the active ingredient of some of the most common

herbicides used

in farming and gardening. These products have been promoted as quickly

biodegradable and non toxic. People believe that they are so safe that

you can

drink a cup of these herbicides without any ill effect.

Consequently, it is sprayed on roadsides while people are driving, on

footpaths

when people are shopping and in schoolyards and sports fields,

exposing children

to drift and residues. People buy it from supermarkets or garden shops

and use

it without any protective clothing because it is deemed 'safe'. It is

sprayed in

national parks and other environmentally sensitive areas in the belief

that it

is not toxic and or residual.

I continuously hear Primary Industries officers and other agricultural

specialists telling farmers that it is not necessary to wear any

protective

clothing because it is harmless.

Unfortunately, the facts show that this is not the case. While pure

Glyphosate

has a low acute toxicity (the amount needed to cause death), when it

is sold as

a commercial herbicide it is combined with surfactants and other

ingredients to

make it more effective at killing plants. Studies show that the

commercial

products, such as Round Up, can be three times more toxic than pure

glyphosate.

Health Problems - so safe that you can drink it.

Japanese researchers analysing suicides have found that drinking 3/4

of a cup

(200 millilitres) of commercial glyphosate products is fatal.

Survivors (those who consumed less than 3/4 of a cup) suffered a range

of severe

health problems. These problems included intestinal pain, vomiting,

erosion of

the gastrointestinal tract, excess fluid in the lungs, pneumonia, lung

dysfunction, clouding of consciousness, destruction of red blood

cells, abnormal

electrocardiograms, low blood pressure, kidney damage and damage to

the larynx.

It is important to note that damage to the kidneys and the lungs is

usually

permanent. These body tissues do not repair themselves, instead

forming scar

tissue that does not function to help filter toxins from the blood or

breathe

oxygen.

In California, where there is a mandatory system of reporting pesticide

poisoning, Glyphosate is the third most common cause of pesticide

illness in

farm workers. It is the most common form of reported pesticide

poisoning in

landscape gardeners.

Two separate studies in Sweden have linked exposure to Glyphosate to

Hairy Cell

Leukemia and Non Hodgkins Lymphoma. These types of cancers were

extremely rare,

however non-Hodgkins lymphoma is the most rapidly increasing cancer in

the

Western world. It has risen by 73% in the USA since 1973. Another

study has

found a higher incidence of Parkinson disease amongst farmers who used

herbicides, including glyphosate.

Other studies show that Glyphosate and commercial herbicides containing

Glyphosate cause a range of cell mutations and damage to cell DNA.

These types

of changes are usually regarded as precursors to cancer and birth defects.

Reproductive Effects

Studies show that exposure to Glyphosate is associated with a range of

reproductive effects in humans and other species. Research from

Ontario, Canada

found that a father's exposure to Glyphosate was linked to an increase in

miscarriages and premature births in farm families.

Glyphosate caused a decrease in the sperm count of rats and an

increase in

abnormal and dead sperms in rabbits. Pregnant rabbits exposed to

Glyphosate had

a decrease in the weight of their babies.

Residual

The proponents of Glyphosate herbicides promote them as environment

friendly or

benign. They say that they breakdown very quickly in the environment.

The facts show otherwise. A report from The United States Environmental

Protection Agency states that Glyphosate is 'extremely persistent

under typical

application conditions'. It is one of the most residual herbicides,

with studies

in Sweden showing that one application can last up to 3 years.

In warmer climates, it can take less than a year per application for

Glyphosate

to degrade. However, when it breaks down it does not disappear into

harmless

basic elements. It degrades into an even more residual compound called

aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA). While AMPA has a low acute

toxicity, the

studies conducted on this compound show that it damages the livers and

bladders

of rats. Unfortunately, very few long-term health and environmental

studies are

conducted on the breakdown products of synthetic chemicals.

Residues of Glyphosate have been found in a variety of fruits and

vegetables.

This is because it readily moves into all parts of a plant. As it is

inside the

plant tissues, it cannot be washed off.

Residues can be detected long after glyphosate treatments have been

made. One

study showed that lettuces contained residues five months after the

field was

treated with glyphosate. The disturbing thing about this research is

that the

lettuce seedlings were planted four months after the field was sprayed

for

weeds. The seedlings absorbed the glyphosate from the soil residues.

A World Health Organisation study revealed significant Glyphosate

residues in

wheat after harvest. Milling did not remove it, as it moves into the

plant and

the wheat seed. The study showed that cooking does not break down

Glyphosate.

Environmental Effects

Glyphosate based herbicides have been shown to cause a significant

decline of

beneficial insect species in farms. Studies by the International

Organization

for Biological Control and other researchers have found that between

50 to 80

percent of beneficial insects are killed from exposure to residues of a

Glyphosate herbicide.

Glyphosate is very toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms.

Concentrations as

low as 10 parts per million can kill fish. Daphnia, a very important

part of the

aquatic food chain, especially for fish, can be killed by as little as

three

parts per million. This is an important reason why it should not be

used near

waterways or in drains.

Glyphosate is extremely toxic to the soil life. One application can

cause a

dramatic plunge in the number of beneficial soil micro-organisms and

arthropods.

Studies show a reduction in the species that build humus, thus it

contributes to

the decline in soil organic matter.

Glyphosate significantly reduces the activity of nitrogen-fixing

bacteria. These

bacteria transform soil nitrogen into forms that plants can use.

Studies of

Soybeans grown for nitrogen fixation showed a reduction in the number of

rhizobium bacteria and the nitrogen they produce when Glyphosate was

used for

weed control.

Other studies show that Glyphosate herbicides increase the

susceptibility of

plants to diseases. This is partly because it reduces the growth of

mycorrhizal

fungi and other beneficial fungi that help plants absorb nutrients and

help

fight disease. However, plants suffer more disease, as there is an

increase in

the soil pathogens and a decrease beneficial species that control

diseases after

an application of Glyphosate.

Glyphosate exposure damages or reduces the populations of earthworms.

A New

Zealand study showed that 5% of the usual application rate caused delayed

development and increased death in earthworms.

Glyphosate reduces populations of small mammals and birds by damaging the

vegetation that provides food and shelter for these animals. The

populations of

all of these living organisms can take years to recover due to

Glyphosate's

persistence in the soil.

Spray Drift

Glyphosate spray drift from both ground and aerial applications has been

measured from 400 to 800 meters from the target site. Studies have

shown that

Glyphosate drift will cause more severe and extensive damage than many

other

herbicides. This is because it is a broad spectrum, non-selective

herbicide and

it is transported throughout the plant causing damage to the unexposed

parts.

This damage, when it does not kill the plants, can last for many years.

Drift that is one thousand times less than the usual application rates

has been

shown to damage surrounding vegetation, including the killing of wild

plants.

This is an important reason why it should not be used in national

parks and

environmentally sensitive areas for weed control.

Genetic Engineering

The use of glyphosate is expected to increase substantially in the

next few

years because several genetically engineered crops are " Roundup Ready "

and will

be grown by many farmers.

This expected increase in use has resulted in an application for the MRL

(residue level) for glyphosate to be increased by 200 percent. This

need to

increase the permitted residue levels is due to genetically engineered

herbicide

tolerant crops using more chemicals, not less as the proponents of

GMO's claim.

These crops cannot be legally sold in Australia under the present residue

levels, as the increased number of sprays will mean higher residue

levels.

This need for a dramatic increase in residues demonstrates that this

herbicide

is residual. If it is rapidly degraded and leaves no residues as is

commonly

claimed, why is there a need for such a large increase on residues on

the crop?

The persistent nature of these residues in genetically engineered food

crops

such as Soybeans, Corn and Canola is another reason why we need mandatory

labelling of all GMO's. We need to have the freedom of choice to avoid

foods

that we believe will contain residues of toxic chemicals.

This is a very good reason for eating organic foods.

Conclusion

Glyphosate is widely used in the mistaken belief that it is harmless,

safe and

readily breaks down leaving no residues. Consequently, it is sprayed

in public

areas while people are present and by operators without protective

clothing.

These people are exposed to the drift of this herbicide. The facts

show that

Glyphosate causes a range of health problems to humans, plants and

animals, it

causes environmental problems and that it is highly persistent. It is

time that

the widespread use of this toxic chemical on roadsides, footpaths, parks,

gardens, schools, farms, forestry, national parks etc was stopped or

highly

restricted.

Acknowledgments and References

Most of the information for this article came from an excellent paper

authored

by Caroline Cox in the JOURNAL OF PESTICIDE REFORM, Fall 1998, Vol.18,

No. 3.

Updated 01-02, Northwest Coalition Against Pesticides, Eugene, Oregon.

Lehmann V. and Pengue W. (2000), Herbicide Tolerant Soybean: Just

another step

in a technology treadmill? Biotechnology and Development Monitor.

September

2000.

Nordstrom M. et al, (1998), " Occupational exposures, animal exposure, and

smoking as risk factors for hairy cell leukaemia evaluated in a

case-control

study, " BRITISH JOURNAL OF CANCER Vol. 77 (1998), pp 2048-2052.

Hardell L. and Eriksson M. (1999), " A Case-Control Study of

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

and exposure to Pesticides, " CANCER Vol.85, No. 6 (March 15, 1999).