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Some common pesticides, including the controversial herbicide glyphosate, cause genetic damage to people’s cells at very low exposure levels, according to a new study. These cellular changes are sometimes called “genotoxic” and are associated with cancer.
The findings suggest that current pesticide testing and regulations do not fully capture how pesticides can harm people.
The new research Global Health JournalThey tested 10 different pesticides that people are exposed to and found that eight of them damage or change the DNA of human cells. For the herbicide glyphosate, researchers found cell damage at the lowest levels tested, suggesting there are few safe levels for human exposure. This was the first time that the effects of some pesticides on DNA were tested, and the first study to confirm that a particular mixture of pesticides was also toxic to cells. For example, a mixture of glyphosate, the insecticide acetamiprid, and the fungicide fluopyram damaged cells at the lowest doses tested.
“Low-dose testing in toxicology is fundamental, and the effects of low doses are often underestimated simply because they have not been studied,” said lead author Daniele Mandrioli, researcher and executive director of Collegium Ramazzini, adding that many pesticides are considered non-toxic to DNA based on industry studies rather than those tested in independent laboratories.
“Low-dose testing in toxicology is fundamental, and the effects of low doses are often underestimated simply because they have not been studied.” – Daniele Mandrioli, Collegium Ramazzini
This study prioritized testing 10 pesticides based on previous research. European Union Survey About over 200 pesticides. Mandrioli and colleagues focused on the 10 most concerning concerns based on historical exposure and health data.
In addition to glyphosate, three additional pesticides, three fungicides, and chemicals that enhance pesticide efficacy were all toxic to cells when tested individually. all 8 people are registered For use in the United States.
Some pesticides, such as cyprodinil and deltamethrin, have been shown for the first time to damage cells.
The study highlights “the need for further research on human cells and the incorporation of lower dose concentration ranges into risk assessment studies,” the authors write.
glyphosate controversy
The study will be conducted one month later. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the case. The former Monsanto company filed a lawsuit over Roundup, one of the company’s glyphosate herbicides. The court said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulatory authority for pesticides preempts state claims that companies failed to warn users about the risks of certain products, even though the EPA itself does not require such warnings. Over the past decade, Bayer, now owned by Monsanto, has fought more than 100,000 lawsuits brought by people who developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma due to exposure to glyphosate herbicides.
The EPA “has repeatedly concluded that glyphosate is unlikely to cause cancer, (and) … was not required to carry a cancer warning on Roundup’s label,” the court wrote.
but, Glyphosate is scientifically linked Multiple studies have suggested it may cause cancer, and it has been classified by national agencies as a possible human carcinogen. world health organization In 2015.
In a statement to The New Lede, Bayer said the new study “has not been conducted with the same rigor as the studies submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency, the European Food Safety Authority, and other regulatory agencies that review and evaluate these products.”
“In short, the regulatory review does not support the conclusions of this study, nor does it support the weight of the scientific evidence,” the statement said.
“The science is pretty clear” about glyphosate’s ability to cause genetic damage in exposed humans and human cells, said Luoping Zhang, a researcher and adjunct professor of toxicology at the University of California, Berkeley.
She pointed to two recent U.S. studies. insecticide applicator and another saw it farmers — It turns out that herbicides can change and damage human cells.
“Substances that can disrupt the DNA of human cell lines are generally more likely to induce cancer or cause reproductive (and) developmental toxicity,” Mandrioli said. “This is why there is no safe threshold for genotoxic chemicals.”
Featured image: James Baltz/Unsplash +
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Brian Bienkowski is the editor-in-chief of The New Lede. He is a veteran journalist with over 15 years of experience covering the environment and human health. Prior to joining TNL, he was a senior editor at Environmental Health News for nearly a decade, overseeing the newsroom and two local bureaus. He was also the founder, producer, and host of the EJ podcast Agents of Change from 2020 to 2024.
Bienkowski has received multiple awards for her editing and reporting, including honors from the Healthcare Journalists Association, Columbia School of Journalism, Hunter College, and the Environmental Journalists Association. He has a master’s degree in environmental journalism from Michigan State University and lives in northern Michigan.
