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| Compilation of Facts About Glyphosate Formulations |
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Introduction 1. Glyphosate
was first introduced and
registered in 1974 by Monsanto under the product
name, Roundup®.
2. Since the
expiration of the patent on
Roundup® in 1999 in the U.S.
and 2000 outside the U.S.
glyphosate has been sold in many
different formulations under many different names.
Belize currently has 17
registered glyphosate formulations.
3. Formulations
contain active and inert
ingredients, adjuvants and impurities.
4.
“Inactive”
ingredients have been
shown to be 1000 times more toxic than glyphosate
alone. (The
acceptable daily intake for
pesticides is calculated from the toxicity of the
active principle alone.)
5. Glyphosate
breaks down into other
compounds such as AMPA which is also biologically
active and toxic although
never been tested by manufacturers. The
Effect of Glyphosate on Plants
and Soil 1. Glyphosate
inhibits the function of
the plant enzyme EPSPS in the shikimate
pathway which inhibits amino acid synthesis
which leads to rapid cell death
in all plants, fungi and many bacteria species.
2. Glyphosate
chelates important
minerals such as calcium,
magnesium, iron, cobalt, zinc,
and manganese in the soil which inhibits mineral
absorption by the plant which
results in mineral deficiencies in food. 3. Glyphosate
impairs
water intake and damages
physiological processes in
the plant including disease resistance and
photosynthesis. (More than 40
diseases are known
to be
increased in weed control programs with glyphosate,
affecting a wide range of
species: apples, bananas, barley, bean, canola,
citrus, cotton, grape, melon,
soybean, sugar beet, sugarcane, tomato and wheat.) 4. After
glyphosate application root-colonizing
Fusarium increases significantly as
well as the virulence
of
soil pathogens such as Xylella fastidiosa which
causes citrus variegated chlorosis,
while the presence of
beneficial soil organisms decreases. 5. Glyphosate
destroys earthworms. The
Effect of
Glyphosate on Human and Animal Health 1. Glyphosate
disrupts the gut microbiome
in humans, causing the suppression of biosynthesis
of Cytochrome P450 (CYP)
enzymes and key amino acids; beneficial gut bacteria
are destroyed and
pathogens are increased, leading to intestinal
diseases such as leaky gut,
Celiac disease, and other inflammatory diseases such
as Crohn’s disease. 2. Similarly
glyphosate disrupts the gut
microbiome in domestic farms animals, resulting in
highly pathogenic bacteria
to cause diseases. 3. CYP26, a
key enzyme in the retinoic
acid pathway, is also adversely affected by
glyphosate through cell-signaling
and physiology, resulting in a range of
developmental impacts including damage
to DNA, bone metabolism, liver metabolism,
reproduction, pregnancy, behaviour,
and hormone-dependent diseases such as breast or
prostate cancer and birth defects. 4. In March
2015 the World Health
Organization’s International Agency for Research on
Cancer classified
glyphosate as a probable
carcinogenic to
humans. 5. Non-Hodgkin’s
lymphoma (NHL), the
fastest-growing cancer, has been linked to
glyphosate. 6. The
neurotoxic effects of glyphosate
include autism, Parkinson’s disease, depression,
senile dementia, and
Alzheimer’s disease. 7. Glyphosate’s
strong chelating
properties allow it to combine with heavy metals and
arsenic in hard water,
resulting in damage to renal tissues and thereby
causing chronic kidney
diseases. 8. The US
Presidential study on health
disclosed that only 23% of food tested for pesticide
residue had no
residue. Belize
is not testing for
residue. The
Effect of
Glyphosate on the Environment 1. Glyphosate
and
its main metabolite AMPA can remain in the soil even
years after the last
spraying. That means the herbicide and its residues
can remain active and
accumulate in soils with increasingly devastating
effects on soil ecology and
fertility. 2. Runoff
pollutes
streams and other waterways. 3. Glyphosate
use
impacts animal biodiversity and health either directly
or indirectly
through destruction of habitats. It is considered to
be particularly toxic to
aquatic and amphibian species, due to its high water
solubility. 4. 10 –
30% of pesticides applied from the ground and 50 – 75%
of aerially sprayed
pesticides spread off-site. 5. Glyphosate
was
detected at all sample sites in a three-year study in
the Maya Mountain
Reserve by Kristine Kaiser, 2011. 6. The
destruction
of habitat of birds and butterflies, especially the
Monarch, has resulted
in significant decreases in their populations. 7. Honeybee
colonies
are being decimated directly by glyphosate poisoning
and indirectly by
bees’ impaired cognitive capacities to navigate. 8. When
glyphosate
affects key species, whole ecosystems are affected. Regulatory
Issues 1. Data
used
for determining safety of glyphosate is based on
studies done in the
1980’s, conducted by or funded by Monsanto. 2
Most
studies were conducted using only the active
ingredient and conducted over
short periods of time. 3. Most
studies
were conducted on adult animals. 4. Most
studies
were conducted using high dosages, under the
assumption that low
dosages have no adverse effect. 5. Even
though
manufacturers’ data in the 1980’s disclosed adverse
health effects due
to glyphosate, it is still marketed as being safe. 6. The
USDA,
FDA, and European Union Food Safety Agency are staffed
with former
Monsanto employees or directors. 7. The Good Laboratory Practice
(GLP) guidelines are set by the OECD (Organization
for Economic Cooperation and
Development), a body dedicated not to public health
but to promoting
international trade and economic development. GLP is
a management system and
does not guarantee good science. Glyphosate
Usage in Belize 1. Of
the
registered 515 pesticide formulations 17 are
registered glyphosate formulations
and all are classified Restricted Use Pesticide. 2. Glyphosate
was
the second-most imported pesticide in Belize in 2021:
157.81 metric ton of
active ingredient. 3. Glyphosate
is sprayed widely and freely in
Belize to control weeds: under fences, along roadways,
in playgrounds, around
gardens and walkways, around fields, under trees, and
in orchards. 4. Glyphosate
is
used by all major crop growers, individual farmers,
gardeners, and home
owners. Conclusion Given the compelling case
against
the safety of glyphosate in our environment, soil,
water and air, many
organizations, including Pro-Organic Belize, are
advocating that GOB 1. Educate the public on the consequences of spraying it liberally and being exposed to it. Not only children who play around and on areas that have been sprayed but everyone who breathes the aerial contaminants is jeopardizing his/her health. 2. Ban its use on all public land including schools, playgrounds, forests, hotels, restaurants, food preparation facilities, and animal feed facilities. 3. Ban aerial spraying. 4. Implement a testing program for pesticide residue in our food. 5.
In an accelerated phased
approach ban the
importation of glyphosate in all its formulations,
assigning the burden of
compliance to Customs and BAHA |