Main ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide glyphosate labeled probably carcinogenic

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a division of the World Health Organization, issued a report about the carcinogenicity of five different herbicides and insecticides, including glyphosate the main ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup.

Experts representing 11 countries met in Lyons, France to do a comprehensive review of 15 different peer reviewed studies from the past three decades. Of the five organophosphates looked at, two were classified as “possibly” carcinogenic to humans and three were deemed “probably” the cause of certain types of cancer in humans.

One of the three labeled probably carcinogenic was glyphosate, a main ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide.

For the IARC to label an agent “probably” carcinogenic, there has to be sufficient and convincing evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals. The agent is labeled as such even when there is limited evidence, but a positive association has been observed between it and cancer in humans, whether or not other factors have been ruled out. Agents labeled as “possibly” carcinogenic lack sufficient data to determine if it causes cancer in people.

Glyphosate is an herbicide with the highest worldwide use and can be found in 750 different products. It has forestry, urban and home uses, but its primary application is in agriculture. Developed in 1970 by Monsanto to kill weeds that would harm crops, its use has been dramatically increased since the creation of “genetically-modified organism” crops that can resist the chemical. These GMO products, also developed by Monsanto, are labeled “Roundup Ready,” a reference to the brand name under which the company sells the herbicide. It is primarily used on GMO soybean and corn crops.

Limited evidence does not mean there is no evidence or that it is weak. It simply means that the pool of data available thus far is not as large as the animal testing evidence. Glyphosate is detected in air during spraying, in water and in food.

Human studies have been done in the United States, Canada and Sweden. In the case-control studies of occupational exposure, there were increased risks for non-Hodgkin lymphoma that remained after adjusting for other pesticides. One large Agricultural Health Study (AHS) cohort failed to find a similar increased risk. The chemical has also been detected in the blood and urine of workers, which indicates absorption after exposure. Glyphosate metabolizes into a different chemical structure in soil, and that same chemical structure has also been detected in blood after poisoning, suggesting that there is additional metabolizing in humans. Studies have also shown evidence of chromosomal damage in vitro, and the people in communities where there has been spraying.

The industry asserts it is minimally toxic to humans. Residues are found in the main foods of the Western diet, comprised primarily of sugar, corn, soy and wheat. Glyphosate’s inhibition of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes is an overlooked component of its toxicity to mammals. CYP enzymes play crucial roles in biology, one of which is to detoxify xenobiotics. Thus, glyphosate enhances the damaging effects of other food borne chemical residues and environmental toxins.

The negative impact on the body is insidious and manifests slowly over time as inflammation damages cellular systems throughout the body. Interference with CYP enzymes acts synergistically with disruption of the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids by gut bacteria, as well as impairment in serum sulfate transport. Consequences are most of the diseases and conditions associated with a Western diet, which include gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, autism, infertility, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

The documented effects of glyphosate and its ability to induce disease, show that glyphosate is the “textbook example” of exogenous semiotic entropy: the disruption of homeostasis by environmental toxins.

Immediately after the report, Monsanto issued a statement saying their scientific data did not support the IARC’s conclusion.  They point out that the United States Environmental Protection Agency has deemed glyphosate safe and allowed for an increase in the amount used.

While farmers have stated that they need the herbicide to save crops, if it is deemed an occupational hazard, it could prompt further regulatory oversight. Farmers might also seek alternatives, affecting the company’s bottom line.

Furthermore, activists have pushed for the labeling of GMO foods to include known health risks. IARC’s report gives additional support for these efforts.