Trends in glyphosate herbicide use in the United States and globally
TL;DR: Glyphosate will likely remain the most widely applied pesticide worldwide for years to come, and interest will grow in quantifying ecological and human health impacts, according to published global pesticide use data.
Abstract: Accurate pesticide use data are essential when studying the environmental and public health impacts of pesticide use. Since the mid-1990s, significant changes have occurred in when and how glyphosate herbicides are applied, and there has been a dramatic increase in the total volume applied. Data on glyphosate applications were collected from multiple sources and integrated into a dataset spanning agricultural, non-agricultural, and total glyphosate use from 1974–2014 in the United States, and from 1994–2014 globally. Since 1974 in the U.S., over 1.6 billion kilograms of glyphosate active ingredient have been applied, or 19 % of estimated global use of glyphosate (8.6 billion kilograms). Globally, glyphosate use has risen almost 15-fold since so-called “Roundup Ready,” genetically engineered glyphosate-tolerant crops were introduced in 1996. Two-thirds of the total volume of glyphosate applied in the U.S. from 1974 to 2014 has been sprayed in just the last 10 years. The corresponding share globally is 72 %. In 2014, farmers sprayed enough glyphosate to apply ~1.0 kg/ha (0.8 pound/acre) on every hectare of U.S.-cultivated cropland and nearly 0.53 kg/ha (0.47 pounds/acre) on all cropland worldwide. Genetically engineered herbicide-tolerant crops now account for about 56 % of global glyphosate use. In the U.S., no pesticide has come remotely close to such intensive and widespread use. This is likely the case globally, but published global pesticide use data are sparse. Glyphosate will likely remain the most widely applied pesticide worldwide for years to come, and interest will grow in quantifying ecological and human health impacts. Accurate, accessible time-series data on glyphosate use will accelerate research progress.
Citations
More filters
••
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed a regulatory modeling framework that can flexibly evaluate a population's aggregate exposure risk via maximum residue levels (MRLs) under good agricultural practice (GAP).
8 citations
••
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify and link the problems in pesticide risk assessment to study design, data, and methodological shortcomings, and propose four solutions: (1) End near-sole reliance in regulatory decision-making on industry-supported studies by supporting and relying more heavily on independent science.
Abstract: Background Flaws in the science supporting pesticide risk assessment and regulation stand in the way of progress in mitigating the human health impacts of pesticides. Critical problems include the scope of regulatory testing protocols, the near-total focus on pure active ingredients rather than formulated products, lack of publicly accessible information on co-formulants, excessive reliance on industry-supported studies coupled with reticence to incorporate published results in the risk assessment process, and failure to take advantage of new scientific opportunities and advances, e.g. biomonitoring and "omics" technologies. Recommended actions Problems in pesticide risk assessment are identified and linked to study design, data, and methodological shortcomings. Steps and strategies are presented that have potential to deepen scientific knowledge of pesticide toxicity, exposures, and risks. We propose four solutions: (1) End near-sole reliance in regulatory decision-making on industry-supported studies by supporting and relying more heavily on independent science, especially for core toxicology studies. The cost of conducting core toxicology studies at labs not affiliated with or funded directly by pesticide registrants should be covered via fees paid by manufacturers to public agencies. (2) Regulators should place more weight on mechanistic data and low-dose studies within the range of contemporary exposures. (3) Regulators, public health agencies, and funders should increase the share of exposure-assessment resources that produce direct measures of concentrations in bodily fluids and tissues. Human biomonitoring is vital in order to quickly identify rising exposures among vulnerable populations including applicators, pregnant women, and children. (4) Scientific tools across disciplines can accelerate progress in risk assessments if integrated more effectively. New genetic and metabolomic markers of adverse health impacts and heritable epigenetic impacts are emerging and should be included more routinely in risk assessment to effectively prevent disease. Conclusions Preventing adverse public health outcomes triggered or made worse by exposure to pesticides will require changes in policy and risk assessment procedures, more science free of industry influence, and innovative strategies that blend traditional methods with new tools and mechanistic insights.
8 citations
••
TL;DR: This review describes animal and human studies of general adverse effects of Roundup and its principal substance glyphosate with focus on endocrine disruption, oxidative stress and behavioral disorders, and focuses on the potential toxicity of the herbicide Roundup and glyphosate as effectors of bioenergetic functions of mitochondria.
Abstract: The effects of pesticides on the health of non-target living organisms in agricultural areas are critically important aspects for their safe use. Their release into the environment is an inevitable aspect for predicting and evaluation of the risk of their application. Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide, has been designed as an effective pesticide against weeds and now is the most widely used agrochemicals around the world due to its highly specific action of the biosynthesis of certain amino acids in plants. Despite it is claimed to be low toxic for not-target organisms, due to its broad application Roundup and products of its degradation were detected in organisms of diverse animals and humans. In this review, we describe animal and human studies of general adverse effects of Roundup and its principal substance glyphosate with focus on endocrine disruption, oxidative stress and behavioral disorders. At mechanistic level, we focus on the potential toxicity of the herbicide Roundup and glyphosate as effectors of bioenergetic functions of mitochondria. Their effects on mitochondrial membrane potential and oxidative phosphorylation are among described to date critical components responsible for its toxicity. Finally, we discuss general molecular mechanisms potentially involved in the interaction between glyphosate and mitochondria which to some extent are associated with generation of reactive oxygen species.
8 citations
••
TL;DR: The research literature provides compelling evidence that glyphosate exposure is a significant factor in MeN, and glyphosate usage on crops should be curtailed in order to protect the agricultural worker population from this devastating and life-threatening disease.
Abstract: Mesoamerican nephropathy (MeN), also known as chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu), is an unusual form of kidney disease not associated with diabetes, hypertension, or glomerular nephritis. It has a number of known risk factors, none of which adequately explain the skyrocketing prevalence of the disease among sugarcane workers in El Salvador and Nicaragua. In this paper, we narrow the research focus from agricultural chemicals, in general, to glyphosate, in particular, an herbicide routinely used on sugarcane. We explain how glyphosate compellingly contributes to CKDu, by reviewing the evidence for glyphosate’s direct toxicity to kidneys and showing how the herbicide amplifies the damage to kidneys from other known risk factors. Using standard web search on index words and phrases, we gathered and perused a large collection of papers describing the pathology of MeN and associated metrics, on the one hand, and the mechanisms of toxicity of glyphosate in humans, animals and in in vitro studies, on the other hand. We show that glyphosate is used on sugarcane in three distinct ways, with exposure greatest when the herbicide is used as a ripener near harvest time. We identify several pathologies associated with MeN that have been found to be implicated in papers on glyphosate exposure, such as enhancing the growth of Clostridia species and fungus, promoting arsenic toxicity, suppressing the synthesis of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), disrupting fructose metabolism, and promoting dehydration and high serum urate. A companion paper explains how glyphosate’s substitution for glycine could cause additional renal damage. Together, these two papers strongly suggest that glyphosate is a causative agent in CKDu. Overall, the research literature provides compelling evidence that glyphosate exposure is a significant factor in MeN. Glyphosate usage on crops should be curtailed in order to protect the agricultural worker population from this devastating and life-threatening disease.
8 citations
Cites background from "Trends in glyphosate herbicide use ..."
...During the period when hospitalizations for CKD in El Salvador increased by 50%, the global use of glyphosate for agricultural purposes nearly doubled, increasing from 388,729 metric tons to 716,676 metric tons [18]....
[...]
...Over the last decade, 6,078,138 metric tons of glyphosate have been applied [18]....
[...]
••
TL;DR: This work traces the different ways that the chemical glyphosate is materialised in a war with the coca plant in Colombia and outlines a more-than-human approach to harm reduction; a harm reduction which positions health as a matter of ecology.
8 citations
References
More filters
••
TL;DR: One of the first specialized agencies of the United Nations to become active, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as discussed by the authors has elicited interest beyond the specialized field of agricultural economists.
Abstract: One of the first of the specialized agencies of the United Nations to become active, the Food and Agriculture Organization has elicited interest beyond the specialized field of agricultural economists. Attempting as it does to solve one of the very basic problems of the world, that of an adequate food supply, the organization represents a significant and hopeful international attempt to create a world in which there may actually exist “freedom from want.” The objectives of FAO, as formally expressed in the preamble to the constitution, read as follows:“The nations accepting this constitution being determined to promote the common welfare by furthering separate and collective action on their part for the purpose of raising levels of nutrition and standards of living of the people under their jurisdiction, securing improvements in the efficiency of the production of all food and agricultural products, bettering the conditions of rural populations, and thus contributing toward an expanding world economy, hereby establish the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.”
4,803 citations
••
TL;DR: The use of this virtually ideal herbicide is now being threatened by the evolution of glyphosate-resistant weeds, and adoption of resistance management practices will be required to maintain the benefits of glyphosate technologies for future generations.
Abstract: Since its commercial introduction in 1974, glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine] has become the dominant herbicide worldwide. There are several reasons for its success. Glyphosate is a highly effective broad-spectrum herbicide, yet it is very toxicologically and environmentally safe. Glyphosate translocates well, and its action is slow enough to take advantage of this. Glyphosate is the only herbicide that targets 5-enolpyruvyl-shikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS), so there are no competing herbicide analogs or classes. Since glyphosate became a generic compound, its cost has dropped dramatically. Perhaps the most important aspect of the success of glyphosate has been the introduction of transgenic, glyphosate-resistant crops in 1996. Almost 90% of all transgenic crops grown worldwide are glyphosate resistant, and the adoption of these crops is increasing at a steady pace. Glyphosate/glyphosate-resistant crop weed management offers significant environmental and other benefits over the technologies that it replaces. The use of this virtually ideal herbicide is now being threatened by the evolution of glyphosate-resistant weeds. Adoption of resistance management practices will be required to maintain the benefits of glyphosate technologies for future generations. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry
1,331 citations
"Trends in glyphosate herbicide use ..." refers background in this paper
...John Franz, identified the herbicidal activity of glyphosate in 1970, and a formulated end-use product called Roundup was first sold commercially by Monsanto in 1974 [2]....
[...]
••
TL;DR: GBHs are the most heavily applied herbicide in the world and usage continues to rise; Worldwide, GBHs often contaminate drinking water sources, precipitation, and air, especially in agricultural regions and regulatory estimates of tolerable daily intakes for glyphosate in the United States and European Union are based on outdated science.
Abstract: The broad-spectrum herbicide glyphosate (common trade name “Roundup”) was first sold to farmers in 1974. Since the late 1970s, the volume of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) applied has increased approximately 100-fold. Further increases in the volume applied are likely due to more and higher rates of application in response to the widespread emergence of glyphosate-resistant weeds and new, pre-harvest, dessicant use patterns. GBHs were developed to replace or reduce reliance on herbicides causing well-documented problems associated with drift and crop damage, slipping efficacy, and human health risks. Initial industry toxicity testing suggested that GBHs posed relatively low risks to non-target species, including mammals, leading regulatory authorities worldwide to set high acceptable exposure limits. To accommodate changes in GBH use patterns associated with genetically engineered, herbicide-tolerant crops, regulators have dramatically increased tolerance levels in maize, oilseed (soybeans and canola), and alfalfa crops and related livestock feeds. Animal and epidemiology studies published in the last decade, however, point to the need for a fresh look at glyphosate toxicity. Furthermore, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer recently concluded that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans.” In response to changing GBH use patterns and advances in scientific understanding of their potential hazards, we have produced a Statement of Concern drawing on emerging science relevant to the safety of GBHs. Our Statement of Concern considers current published literature describing GBH uses, mechanisms of action, toxicity in laboratory animals, and epidemiological studies. It also examines the derivation of current human safety standards. We conclude that: (1) GBHs are the most heavily applied herbicide in the world and usage continues to rise; (2) Worldwide, GBHs often contaminate drinking water sources, precipitation, and air, especially in agricultural regions; (3) The half-life of glyphosate in water and soil is longer than previously recognized; (4) Glyphosate and its metabolites are widely present in the global soybean supply; (5) Human exposures to GBHs are rising; (6) Glyphosate is now authoritatively classified as a probable human carcinogen; (7) Regulatory estimates of tolerable daily intakes for glyphosate in the United States and European Union are based on outdated science. We offer a series of recommendations related to the need for new investments in epidemiological studies, biomonitoring, and toxicology studies that draw on the principles of endocrinology to determine whether the effects of GBHs are due to endocrine disrupting activities. We suggest that common commercial formulations of GBHs should be prioritized for inclusion in government-led toxicology testing programs such as the U.S. National Toxicology Program, as well as for biomonitoring as conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
638 citations