The exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides has been linked to endocrine and developmental effects by a new scientific pilot study [1].
Newswise — Endocrine effects and altered reproductive and developmental parameters were observed in both male and female rats, when exposed at a dose level that has been considered safe for humans. The findings of the study, which takes into account exposure from the in utero stage and all throughout adulthood, are particularly relevant considering how widely people are exposed to glyphosate.
The findings come just a few days after the European Court of Justice ruled that all industry studies that were used in the European reauthorisation process of glyphosate should have been disclosed [2]. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer – the main authority to identify carcinogens – had classified glyphosate as a probable carcinogen, based on the assessment of exclusively public and peer-reviewed scientific literature.
The lack of transparency on the evidence used as a basis for the EU reauthorisation of glyphosate significantly discredited the European Commission’s decision to greenlight the reauthorisation of the herbicide [3]. This ultimately led to the creation of a special enquiry committee in the European Parliament and a reform of the General Food Law [4].
In 2017, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that the weight of evidence did not support endocrine disrupting properties for glyphosate.
“These new findings add to well-founded concerns about the toxicity of glyphosate and glyphosate-based formulations for humans and further cast doubt on the recent reauthorisation of this herbicide onto the European market”, says Natacha Cingotti at the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL). “Considering how widely Europeans are exposed to glyphosate, a new assessment based on independent and fully public literature should take place as soon as possible. In the meantime, the authorisation [5] of glyphosate should be suspended out of precaution until the full results are published.”
The pilot study was carried out by the Ramazzini Institute and a network of scientific partners including the University of Bologna, the Genoa Hospital San Martino, the Italian National Institute of Health, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and The George Washington University, as part of a Global Glyphosate study [6]. Earlier findings already highlighted that exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides altered the gut microbiota of rats [7].
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Contact:
Natacha Cingotti, Senior Policy Officer Health and Chemicals,[email protected], tel: +32 (0)2 234 36 45
Notes:
[1] “The Ramazzini institute 13-Week Pilot Study on Glyphosate-Based Herbicides Administered at Human-Equivalent Dose to Sprague Dawley Rats: Effects on Development System”, https://glyphosatestudy.org/press-release/global-glyphosate-study-pilot-phase-shows-reproductive-and-developmental-effects-at-safe-dose/
[2] European Court of Justice, Judgment in Cases T-716/14 Anthony C. Tweedale v European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) and T-329/17 Hautala and Others v EFSA, 7 March 2019,https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2019-03/cp190025en.pdf
[3] https://www.env-health.org/more-than-one-million-europeans-stand-up-against-glyphosate/ ; https://www.env-health.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/20180411_letter_pest_committee.compressed.pdf; https://citizens4pesticidereform.eu/
[4] http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/pest/home.html;http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-2941_en.htm
[5] The current EU approval of glyphosate is running until December 2022
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