High levels of weedkiller found in more than half of sperm samples, heightening fertility risk concerns
High levels of a controversial but common weedkiller were found in more than half of sperm samples from a French infertility clinic, raising fresh questions about the chemical’s impact on reproductive health, a new study has said.
The toxic impact of glyphosate, the most common herbicide, on animals’ reproductive health has already been established by previous studies.
But the effect on humans has been the subject of debate.
This study is believed to be the first to find high levels of glyphosate in infertile men. It found “significant proportions” of glyphosate in the sperm of 57% of the 128 samples, and high levels in blood plasma.
It also found a high correlation between glyphosate levels and oxidative stress, which can influence cell damage, cancer and ageing.
“Taken together, our results suggest a negative impact of glyphosate on the human reproductive health and possibly on his [children],” found the paper, published in peer-reviewed journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.
Global fertility rates and specifically semen quality have been falling, and some have suspected endocrine disruptors – chemicals that disrupt hormones, such as pesticides – could be partly to blame.
Glyphosate is used in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, and other fields.
It has proved divisive since the World Health Organization’s cancer research agency concluded in 2015 that it was probably carcinogenic to humans.
Other agencies, such as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and EU agencies, have classified it as non-carcinogenic.
Its use in Europe has just been extended by 10 years to 2033. Last week in the UK, MPs, councillors and campaigners launched calls for a nationwide ban on pesticide and herbicide use in England’s urban areas.
The authors said it “would be wise to apply the precautionary principle” in the use of glyphosate-based herbicides, “despite the extension of the GLY use in Europe”.