Two studies raise concerns about roundup

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The following information comes from 's Environment and Health News,

issue 751, Sept. 5, 2002.

Two new studies indicate that Monsanto's herbicide, Roundup, is a

hormone-disruptor and is associated with birth defects in humans.

Farm families that applied pesticides to their crops in Minnesota were

studied to see if their elevated exposure to pesticides caused birth

defects in their children. The study found that two kinds of pesticides --

fungicides and the herbicide Roundup -- were linked to statistically

significant increases in birth defects. Roundup was linked to a 3-fold

increase in neurodevelopmental (attention deficit) disorders. [EHP

Supplement 3, Vol. 110 (June 2002), pgs. 441-449.]

A recent test tube study reveals that Roundup can severely reduce the

ability of mouse cells to produce hormones. Roundup interferes with a

fundamental protein called StAR (steroidogenic acute regulatory protein).

The StAR protein is key to the production of testosterone in men (thus

controlling male characteristics, including sperm production) but also the

production of adrenal hormone (essential for brain development),

carbohydrate metabolism (leading to loss or gain of weight), and immune

system function. The authors point out that " a disruption of the StAR

protein may underlie many of the toxic effects of environmental

pollutants. " [EHP Vol. 108, No. 8 (August 2000), pgs. 769-776.]

Roundup, which is made by Monsanto, is one of the most widely used

herbicides in the US. Monsanto has increased use of Roundup in recent

years by selling " Round-up Ready " seeds for crops like corn, cotton and

soybeans. Because these crops have been genetically engineered to

withstand Roundup, growers can use Roundup to kill weeds without harming

tthe crops. The growers who use these genetically engineered seeds are

using even more Round-up than growers who raise the same crops with

conventional seeds or with integrated pest management systems.