The notorious weed killer, Roundup, originally made by Monsanto and acquired by Bayer, has been shown to cause seizure-like convulsions in roundworms.
When a soil-dwelling species, Caenorhabditis elegans, was exposed to extremely dilute samples of Roundup – 300 times lower than the lowest concentration recommended for consumer use – researchers found that the herbicide had lasting effects that gave rise to paroxysms.
In one-third of insect models, the toxic effects of Roundup and its main component, glyphosate, can be prevented by drug intervention alone.
The researchers say their findings are “quite dramatic” – and come at a critical time for the future of Bayer and Roundup.
“It’s about how little we understand about the effects of glyphosate on the nervous system,” says Florida Atlantic University neuroscientist Akshay Narain.
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“More and more evidence is emerging for the extent of glyphosate exposure, so this work will hopefully lead other researchers to dig deeper into these findings and solidify where our concerns should be.” ” Glyphosate is the most broadly involved herbicide on the planet.
A recent federal report in the United States found traces of this weed killer in more than 80% of urine samples from children and adults.
Yet the health effects of such widespread exposure are highly controversial.
Monsanto and now Bayer executives have always maintained that Roundup is safe for humans and non-carcinogenic. But in recent years, scientists, policymakers and the public have begun to question these claims, which are based on industry-led research rather than independent scientific investigation.
Bayer is currently embroiled in several legal battles with people who say they got cancer while using Roundup. Recently, the UK banned the use of a certain ingredient, POE-tallowamine, in Roundup’s proprietary formula after learning of its potentially toxic effects.
However, the United States has taken no action against Roundup or its components. In 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) again determined that there was no risk to human health from the proper use of Roundup.
Two years later, some critics remain skeptical. Recently, a federal court ruled that the Trump-era ruling ignored significant emerging evidence about the toxic effects of Roundup.
The EPA now has until October to reconsider its decision. At the same time, the EU is also considering reauthorizing the use of glyphosate after 2022.
Current studies in insects are worth considering, even if they are based on animal models. Although much research has focused on the possible carcinogenic effects of Roundup, there may also be neurotoxic effects.
A previous study found that levels of toxicity measured in nematode brains were strongly correlated with neurotoxicity in mammals.
That’s part of what makes the current findings so troubling.
When researchers in Florida tested the US version of Roundup on insects, they found it caused convulsions for over a minute, nearly twice the effect of glyphosate itself.
The British formula also had more travel than glyphosate alone, suggesting that Roundup contained other dangerous ingredients that interact with other chemicals to overstimulate animal brains.
When researchers created insects without GABA-A receptors, they did not have seizures when exposed to glyphosate or Roundup.
This suggests that the chemicals act on receptors in the brain that are associated with movement to increase seizures. Interestingly, drugs targeting these receptors are common treatments for epilepsy in humans.
Neuroscientist Ken Dawson Scully, of Nova Southeastern University in Florida, explained that “so far there is no information on how exposure to glyphosate and Roundup affects people with epilepsy or other seizure disorders.” “Our review demonstrates that there is a critical obstacle to development and ought to incite further investigation of vertebrates.”
With glyphosate use expected to increase 200-fold in the United States in the future, some scientists are concerned that little independent research is being conducted.
Fewer studies have investigated the neurotoxic effects of exposure to glyphosate and Roundup.
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