One of the precautionary measures displayed on the label of a glyphosate-based weed killer used across the world, known as ‘Roundup’, which has been in the news this week, recommends, that the product is only used in fine weather and in temperatures not exceeding25°Celsius, The Malta Independent on Sunday has learnt.
This was confirmed by the Ministry of the Environment after this newspaper quizzed the ministry over its apparent widespread use in Malta by the government.
The biggest producer of the product in question is Monsanto, which sells it under the brand name Roundup.
The fact that the product cannot be used in temperatures exceeding 25°Celsius and that it can only be applied in fine weather raises questions as to when the herbicide can actually be applied safely in Malta since the only time the weather is relatively calm is during the summer months when temperatures exceed 25 degrees.
The results of laboratory tests carried out across Europe for the presence of the weed killer in humans were published for the first time on Thursday, coincidentally the same week this newspaper was investigating reports related to the use of Roundup in Malta and its effects, after a bee keeper, who preferred not to be named, raised the alarm with this paper.
The test was part of a project carried out across Europe by Friends of the Earth, which revealed that a staggering nine out of 10 people’s urine samples in Malta contained traces of glyphosate. However, doubts were cast on the study’s reliability since only 10 samples were taken in the case of Malta, and an average of 12 tests were carried out in other European countries.
Samples from 18 countries across Europe were analysed for residues of glyphosate and the metabolite AMPA using a new GC-MSMS method. Twelve samples were taken each from Belgium and Switzerland, 11 from Latvia, eight from The Netherlands and 10 from each of the following: UK, France, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Germany, Cyprus, Georgia, Spain, and Poland.
However, in a statement issued yesterday, FoE said it could confirm that the test followed a standard scientific methodology and samples were sent to a reputable lab in Germany together with other samples from 17 other European countries.
Despite the widespread use of glyphosate, governments rarely monitor its presence in food or water.
When contacted by this newspaper, prior to the FoE’s findings, the Environment Ministry had explained that the product in question is legally authorised as a herbicide and any professional in the field using such products must hold a valid licence issued by the authority to use plant protection products while having to abide by the conditions mentioned on the label.
“The technical data displayed on the product states that the greatest risk (when used as per the conditions laid down on the label) is faced by the user and not so much the bystanders since the product degrades rapidly once it comes into contact with soil.
“The regulations on sustainable use of pesticides require that the application of plant protection products in urban zones should be done when there is low human activity. Moreover, local authorities recommend that physical means of weed control are used as much as possible instead of using herbicides,” the ministry said.
The bee-keeper said he had approached several ministers, both past and present government officials to find a solution to the problem. He also claimed that he managed to come across a copy of the contract by which the government obtained supplies of the spray imported from abroad.
He said that he even witnessed this product being sprayed on street pavements to remove weed between the slabs, which he said “may pose a risk to passers-by and when used close to residences”.
The bee-keeper said that local use of this chemical spray has grown to such an extent that in the past a small portable sprayer was used, but today a motor-driven larger sprayer is being used.
The end result: a devastating effect when the chemical reacts with the soil, resembling concrete.
He also raised the question as to whether the weed killer could be responsible for the millions of honey bees – the most important crop pollinators on earth – that are dropping dead across the world.
In April, The Daily Mail quoted the findings of a peer-reviewed study published in the scientific journal Entropy, suggesting the heavy use of the world’s most popular herbicide, Roundup, could be linked to a range of health problems and diseases, including Parkinson’s, infertility and cancers.
According to a study published in the US Journal of Environmental and Analytical Toxicology last year, industry studies on glyphosate dating back as far as the 1980s, including some by Monsanto, showed that the chemical caused birth defects in lab animals.
But according to the study, German authorities tasked with reporting on the industry studies to the EU Commission and member states played down the findings, giving a false impression that glyphosate was safe. The EU approved glyphosate back in 2002.
Claire Robinson, research director at the science policy platform Earth Open Source and a co-author of the study said: “The German authorities introduced irrelevant data to ‘disappear’ significant findings of birth defects and even went so far as to redefine a birth defect as a ‘developmental variation’.
“As a result, Germany set – and the EU authorities accepted – a ‘safe’ level for glyphosate exposure that may not be safe at all.”
The new study’s findings back those of a separate study published earlier in the year by a team led by Professor Gilles-Eric Seralini. Seralini found increased incidence of tumours, mortality, and organ damage in rats fed with low levels of Roundup and a GM maize genetically engineered to tolerate the herbicide. The levels of Roundup that were toxic were well below levels permitted in drinking water and feed.
According to FoE, glyphosate is widely used by farmers in Europe to clear weeds from fields before planting, or before seeds have germinated.
It is also sometimes sprayed on to cereal crops, oilseed rape, maize and sunflowers ahead of harvesting to dry out the crops. It is the most commonly used weed killer on UK arable farms, on 39 per cent of agricultural land in Germany and levels of glyphosate use in Europe are increasing.
As for Malta, the latest NSO figures for herbicide use (2007) show a possible increase in glyphosate usage in Malta (as compared to 2005). The high rates obtained from the Maltese sample demands an even more serious investigation into the source of these herbicides.
Fourteen glyphosate-resistant genetically modified (GM) crops are currently waiting for approval for cultivation in the European Union. Some estimates suggest that if given the go-ahead, glyphosate use could increase by as much as 800 per cent.
Following FoE’s study, the government issued a statement saying that the product does not present unacceptable dangers to the environment and humans due to its “low toxicity levels”, sparking an immediate reaction by FoE urging the government to publish studies related to glyphosate.
FoE said: “The truth is that very little testing has been done for glyphosate so far in Europe, with just five countries testing any cereals in 2009, and 15 countries in 2010. “
As for the claim that glyphosate has “low” toxicity, FoE said that glyphosate was approved for EU-wide use in 2002 but the European regulatory agencies did not carry out their own safety testing, relying instead on data provided by the manufacturers and industry studies, not from peer-reviewed science, and is not available for independent scrutiny.
Friends of the Earth also said that the regulatory authorities did not properly consider reviewing independent studies on glyphosate.
“It is important that the public should have confidence in the approval process – but how can we trust a regulatory system when it relies on studies that have been funded by industry and which are classed as confidential?” FoE asked.
Independent studies have shown that low levels of glyphosate may affect the human hormone system and that it may also affect the ability of cells to reproduce – causing possible genetic mutations and an increased risk of cancer.