The glyphosate returns to be discussed periodically for years now. It is a well -used herbicide in agriculture, however suspected of having harmful effects also for human health: we speak of an increase in the risk of neurodegenerative diseases, alterations of the endocrine system, and different tumors. In 2015 this substance was declared “potentially carcinogenic” by the WHO cancer research agency, Iarc. Indication ignored, however, by the Europe Commission, which in December 2023 decided to extend the authorization for its use in EU countries until 2033. In the meantime, the research has continued. And a study by the Ramazzini Institute brings new, solid, evidence of possible risks today: exposure to glyphosate in uterus and in the first two years of life it would in fact increase, in animal models, the incidence of multiple types of tumors, as well as the risk of premature death.
As we said, at the moment in Europe the use of glyphosate is not subject to restrictions. However, several states have decided to intervene, by prohibiting their sale for home use, the use in public areas or in specific stages of the harvest (this is the case of Italy). The suspicion that could damage human health has been sollated by several research, mainly carried out on laboratory animals. Although for now there is no confirmation from epidemiological studies on the human being solid enough to consider the question closed. It is precisely for this reason that the IARC has inserted the glyphosate in the so -called group 2A group, that of probable carcinogens, and not in the narrowest one of certain carcinogens (1A).
In the new study, the researchers of the Ramazzotti Institute describes the results of a ten -year study, launched precisely in 2015 following the classification of the IRC to thoroughly test the risks connected to a chronic exposure to glyphosate. Specifically, these are the data from the arm of the studio dedicated to tumors, in which the glyphosate and two of the most common herbicides that contain it have been tested on rats starting from fetal development, up to two years of life.
The three substances were administered to three doses, ranging from the dose of exposure considered acceptable in the EU to the level defined “without adverse effects observed”. And in all three treatment groups, statistically significant increases of benign and evil tumors in several anatomical offices, related to the dose of exposure, have been observed. The observed tumors were leukemias, and neoplasms to the detriment of liver, thyroid, nervous system, ovaries, breasts, adrenal glands, kidneys, bladder, bones, endocrine pancreas, uterus and spleen. And in many cases, these are tumors considered rare in rats.
For now, it is a confirmation of the data obtained on laboratory animals, already evaluated by the IRC and deemed insufficient to insert the glyphosate among certain carcinogens in humans. The data, however, add up to those of several other recent research, which indicate how herbicides containing this substance could contribute to the development of complex neurological diseases, such as autism and Parkinson’s disease, representing a factor of environmental risk that interacts with the genetic heritage in predisposed subjects, and damages the nervous system from the early stages of life.
“In addition, glyphosate deeply alters the intestinal microbiota, influencing the balance between brain and intestine and contributing to chronic inflammatory states and oxidative stress”, write the experts of the Internamental Society of Doctors for Environment (ISDE) Italy. “The question, today, is no longer if the glyphosate is dangerous. The real question is: why do we continue to tolerate its use in such sensitive areas – such as public parks, school gardens and urban green areas – while knowing the documented toxicity?”.