Roundup Linked to Birth Defects
A new study has added to the mounting evidence that exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides such as Roundup may be causing birth defects, especially in areas where there are intensively used.
The new study found glyphosate interferes with key molecular mechanisms regulating early development of frog and chicken embryos, resulting in congenital malformations (birth defects). This adds to existing evidence that glyphosate can cause birth defects in amphibia. Other studies have shown that glyphosate acts as an endocrine disruptor in placental cells, inhibiting the conversion of androgens to oestrogen, as well as damaging androgen and oestrogen receptors and causing DNA damage (genotoxicity) which can lead to cancer.
The authors of this study also report that women in Argentina and Paraguay, where there is extensive cultivation of Roundup-Resistant GM crops, who were exposed during pregnancy to herbicides, delivered offspring with neural defects and congenital malformations including microcephaly, anencephaly, and cranial malformations. Repeated spontaneous abortions are also reported in families living near the GM fields.
Ref: Paganelli A, Gnazzo V, Acosta H, Lopez SL, Carrasco AE. 2010. Glyphosate-based herbicides produce teratogenic effects on vertebrates by impairing retinoic acid signaling. Chem Res Toxicol [Epub Aug 9, 2010].
