Preliminary study showed signs of endocrine and microbiome disturbances and potential adverse effects on target organs in rats exposed to glyphosate-based herbicides

The Ramazzini Institute in Italy has announced the launch of a global crowdfunding campaign for the first ever comprehensive global study on glyphosate-based herbicides, at the same time as revealing that the preliminary phase of the study has shown that glyphosate-based herbicides, at the dose currently considered safe by the US Environmental Protection Agency, were able to disrupt the microbiome of rats.

The Ramazzini Institute has already completed a preliminary study on glyphosate-based herbicides alongside the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York in the US, the results of which were presented at the annual meeting of the Collegium Ramazzini in late October and will soon be published.

The €300,000 preliminary study was carried out over a three-month period and was funded by 27,000 members of the public from the Bologna region of Italy.

The results showed early evidence of endocrine and microbiome disturbances and potential adverse effects on target organs in rats exposed to glyphosate-based herbicides, at the dose currently considered safe by the US Environmental Protection Agency (1.75 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight per day).

Dr Fiorella Belpoggi, the director and chief of pathology of the Cesare Maltoni Cancer Research Centre of the Ramazzini Institute said, “There are many unanswered questions following our short-term preliminary study and also after the lack of agreement between global regulatory authorities and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) regarding the carcinogenic potential of glyphosate-based herbicides. Possible health effects from glyphosate-based herbicides, including microbiome alterations, endocrine disrupting effects and developmental effects, have not been comprehensively explored, despite global health concerns.

“Whatever the outcome of the comprehensive study,” Dr Belpoggi said, “IARC, EFSA and the EPA will have solid independent results on which to base a proper assessment."

The Ramazzini Institute is now launching a global crowdfunding campaign for the first comprehensive long-term study on the world’s most used herbicide. The study will supply valuable data of unprecedented power to enable regulators, governments and the general public of every country to answer the question: Are glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides safe at real-world levels of exposure?

Dr Philip Landrigan, dean for global health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said, “This is a massive opportunity for the general public to support independent science and to find out detailed information regarding the possible effects of glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides on our health.”

This study will be performed by scientists who are independent, at institutes in Europe and US. The study will provide full clear long-term data on:

* The toxicity of glyphosate and Roundup at real-life exposures
* The carcinogenicity of glyphosate and Roundup at real-life exposures
* The multi-generational effects of glyphosate and Roundup at real-life exposures
* The neurotoxicology effects of glyphosate and Roundup at real-life exposures
* The endocrine disrupting effects of glyphosate and Roundup at real-life exposures
* The prenatal developmental toxicity effects of glyphosate and Roundup at real-life exposures
* The effects of glyphosate and Roundup at real-life exposures on the microbiome.

Dr Belpoggi told the online magazine EU Food Policy that she would be asking the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the IARC and the Italian Health Ministry to comment on the study design. She said the Ramazzini Institute would also welcome input from other scientific bodies in EU member states. She is quoted in EU Food Policy as saying, "No one has the money to do a huge study on their own, not a single state or country. We need the EU institutions to contribute to the study and to observe on our scientific committee.

"We need a new approach in food and in the environment and the power of the people. I hope the agencies will accompany us in this process. We want to answer science with science."

Previous long-term studies carried out by the Ramazzini Institute have shed light on the carcinogenic potential and led to regulatory change for many chemicals including benzene, aspartame, vinyl chloride, mancozeb and formaldehyde.

With €1 million needed for each of the five arms of this new long-term global glyphosate study, the Ramazzini Institute is counting on the general public to fund their own not-for-profit study on one of the most ubiquitous chemicals.

Read more about and support this research here: https://glyphosatestudy.org

Source: Ramazzini Institute