Human Gut Microbiome Species Impacted By Glyphosate: Study

Human Gut Microbiome Species Impacted By Glyphosate: Study

Introduction

On November 14, newly published scientific papers were made available, which illustrated that 54 percent of the species in the core human gut microbiome might be impacted by glyphosate, the main ingredient of the weedkiller Roundup.

According to the research published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, researchers from the University of Turku in Finland said that they used a new bioinformatics method and determined that half of the core human gut microbiome are “potentially sensitive” to glyphosate.

Gut flora or gut microbiota are the microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, and fungi, that are believed to impact immune functions and other important processes. The researchers noted that the intake of glyphosate might severely affect the composition of the human gut microbiome, which can contribute to a range of diseases.

The researchers concluded that further empirical studies would be required to determine the actual impact of glyphosate on the human gut microbiota and other organisms.

Last month, a study was published in the journal Chemosphere, indicating that glyphosate meets at least 8 key characteristics (KCs) of an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC), which interferes with the hormonal system and causes cancerous tumors, birth defects, and other developmental disorders.

Glyphosate is classified as a probable carcinogen, and its presence in the weedkiller Roundup has raised concerns of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) and other cancers among its users.

IARC, considered to be the apex in the field of cancer research, classified glyphosate as a “probable human carcinogen.” According to IARC, Roundup is made up of other ingredients that are toxic in themselves, and are also known to increase the toxicity of glyphosate. Monsanto has known this for many years but still refuses to study the link between cancer and Roundup.

Monsanto has a brief history of legal troubles and Glyphosate is just another herbicide of the company to attract lawsuits. Plaintiffs across the U.S. have filed numerous lawsuits. A plaintiff from one of the Roundup lawsuits claims that she worked as a grower’s assistant on a crop field in New York from 1994 to 1998 where Roundup was regularly sprayed indoors and outdoors resulting in chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2012. She eventually quit the job and is currently seeking reasonable compensation and punitive damages in court.

In 2001, environmental and consumer rights campaigners' filed a lawsuit against the company as it presented Roundup as biodegradable and left the soil clean after use. Whereas, the European Union identified it as dangerous for the environment and toxic for aquatic organisms.

Bayer, the manufacturer of the controversial weedkiller, Roundup, is facing approximately 125,000 filed and unfiled claims. The lawsuits are presided by U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria under MDL No. 2741 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.