{"id":30765,"date":"2022-03-10T00:01:21","date_gmt":"2022-03-10T05:01:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=30765"},"modified":"2022-03-09T17:06:35","modified_gmt":"2022-03-09T22:06:35","slug":"epa-overlooks-glyphosate-and-roundup-ingredients-cancer-dna-damage-and-multigenerational-effects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2022\/03\/epa-overlooks-glyphosate-and-roundup-ingredients-cancer-dna-damage-and-multigenerational-effects\/","title":{"rendered":"EPA Overlooks Glyphosate and Roundup Ingredients\u2019 Cancer, DNA Damage, and Multigenerational Effects"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides<\/em>, March 10, 2022) Glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) like Roundup\u00ae induce DNA damage and alter biological mechanisms (gene regulatory microRNAs [miRNAs or miRs]) associated with cancer development. According to the study published in\u00a0Toxicological Sciences<\/em><\/a>, DNA damage mainly occurs through oxidative stress from GBH exposure. Moreover, DNA damage and other biological mechanisms that cause carcinogenicity (cancer) occur at doses assumed \u201csafe\u201d by pesticide regulators such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).<\/p>\n

Glyphosate<\/a>\u00a0is the most commonly used active ingredient worldwide, appearing in many herbicide formulas, not just Bayer\u2019s (formerly Monsanto) Roundup\u00ae. The use of this chemical has been increasing since the inception of crops genetically modified to tolerate glyphosate over two decades ago. The toxic herbicide readily contaminates the ecosystem with residues pervasive in food and water commodities. In addition to this study, literature proves time and time again that glyphosate has an association with cancer development, as well as human,\u00a0biotic<\/a>, and ecosystem\u00a0harm<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Study lead author Michael Antoniou, Ph.D.,\u00a0cautions<\/a>, \u201cOur results are the first to simultaneously show glyphosate and Roundup toxicity in a whole mammalian animal model system and provide a mechanism \u2013 oxidative stress \u2013 by which DNA damage has been observed in other systems, such as mammalian tissue culture cells. These findings show that glyphosate and Roundup score positive in various tests of carcinogenicity \u2013 transcriptome\/epigenome\/miRNA changes, oxidative stress, protein misfolding, and DNA damage \u2013 in a living animal (rat) that is accepted as a surrogate for human health effects. In my view, this strengthens the argument that exposure to Roundup herbicides can lead to the type of cancer suffered by the plaintiffs in many of the court cases \u2013 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.\u201d<\/p>\n

This study represents a follow-up that builds on the finding of a\u00a0previous one<\/a>\u00a0by the same authors. The previous study compared the effects of MON 5227 (an active ingredient in Roundup) and glyphosate alone in rats and found both ingredients to cause gut microbiome disruption and oxidative stress related to possible liver damage. Thus, the present study intends to determine damages in the liver by analyzing tissue samples. Following standard regulatory testing for pesticide approval, researchers investigated biochemical changes in the blood of the kidneys and liver after exposure to glyphosate and four active ingredients in Roundup formulas: MON 52276 (European Union), MON 76473 (United Kingdom), and MON 76207 (United States). Additionally, researchers performed tests not carried out by standard testing, including observation on molecular changes in the biological function of gene expression and epigenetics (e.g., DNA methylation that changes the activity but not the sequence of a DNA segment) in the kidneys and liver. To highlight changes in biological function linked to cancer, researchers used genetically engineered (GE) cell lines and tested them for direct DNA damage.<\/p>\n

The results confirm that liver damage occurs from exposure to glyphosate and Roundup, leading to alterations of gene expression and miRNA (small RNA) in the liver. Specifically, glyphosate and MON 52276 alter nine gene expressions in the liver and kidneys responsible for oxidative stress and DNA damage, prompting cancer development. Researchers suggest changes in miRNA can disrupt the regular function of cell growth regulator genes, like p53, resulting in cancer. The changes in gene expression of p53 strongly indicate a possible pathway for DNA damage and thus a major cancer development risk factor. Furthermore, various research, including this one, demonstrates increases in small RNA, like miR-10 from GBH exposure, have an association with blood cancer development, particularly leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Dr. Antoniou notes, “The new data showing changes in miRNA patterns add yet more evidence to the cancer-causing potential of glyphosate and Roundup. What is more, our results show that it is not just Roundup, which is a mixture of glyphosate with various additives, that has carcinogenic potential, but also glyphosate alone.”<\/p>\n

Almost five decades of extensive glyphosate-based herbicide use has put human, animal, and environmental health at risk. The chemical\u2019s ubiquity threatens\u00a093 percent<\/a>\u00a0of all U.S. endangered species,\u00a0resulting<\/a>\u00a0in biodiversity loss and ecosystem disruption (e.g.,\u00a0soil erosion<\/a>,\u00a0loss of services<\/a>). Exposure to GBHs has implications for specific alterations in\u00a0microbial gut composition<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0trophic cascades<\/a>. Similar to this paper, past studies find a strong association between glyphosate exposure and\u00a0the development of various health anomalies,<\/a>\u00a0including\u00a0cancer<\/a>,\u00a0Parkinson\u2019s disease<\/a>, and\u00a0autism<\/a>. Although EPA classifies glyphosate herbicides as \u201cnot likely to be carcinogenic to humans,\u201d\u00a0stark evidence<\/a>\u00a0demonstrates links to various cancers, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Thus, EPA\u2019s classification perpetuates environmental injustice among individuals disproportionately exposed to chemicals like farmworkers, especially in marginalized communities. \u00a0Chemical companies knowingly failed and continue to fail to warn farmers adequately about the dangers of the pesticide, and that the manufacturer\u2019s (Bayer\/Monsanto) chemical review conclusions<\/a> are supported by accurate science.<\/p>\n

The territory for research on pesticides\u2019 potential carcinogenicity, and other impacts on human health, is almost ridiculously complicated. Yet there is some convergence across research that exposure to certain pesticides increases the risk of developing some cancers. The association that has been in the blinding spotlight for the past few years is between exposures to glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides and\u00a0the risk of developing cancer, particularly non-Hodgkin Lymphoma<\/a>\u00a0(NHL). Beyond Pesticides has covered the\u00a0mounting evidence<\/a>\u00a0of the dangers of glyphosate, including a\u00a0meta-study<\/a>\u00a0that suggests a compelling link between exposures to glyphosate-based herbicides and increased risk of NHL.<\/p>\n

In addition, it has written extensively on developments in the science and regulatory arena, including:<\/p>\n