Glyphosate is a widely used herbicide that, according to various studies, could be carcinogenic to humans . That is why its use is usually a cause of debate and controversy in different areas.
This substance, called N-phosphonomethylglycine according to the nomenclature of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry ( IUPAC ), is specifically the active ingredient in several herbicides. It works by inhibiting an enzyme that plays a key role in the development and survival of plants.
Glyphosate can be injected into stems or trunks or applied to leaves. By inhibiting the enzyme and affecting the synthesis of amino acids , the growth of the plant is interrupted and the specimen ends up dying after wilting.
The marketing of glyphosate began in 1970 , when the Monsanto company began selling the herbicide Roundup . Since then, more than 8.6 billion kilograms of glyphosate have been spread in fields around the world , according to Greenpeace figures. Currently, more than a hundred of the herbicides for commercial use in Spain officially authorized for gardening , forestry and agriculture contain glyphosate.
The World Health Organization ( WHO ) called glyphosate “probably carcinogenic” to people. Farmers and their families could therefore find themselves at risk. But glyphosate also affects the rest of the population and the environment, since the substance penetrates the soil and reaches the water, so it is present in many of the foods we consume daily.
Despite warnings from the WHO , Monsanto maintains that glyphosate has a "low risk" for health since the enzyme it inhibits is not present in humans or animals. He also states that there is research that defines it as a "practically non-toxic" product.
In short, millions of hectares of farmland and parks are sprayed with glyphosate every year. When it penetrates the soil, it reaches not only our food but the water we drink. Despite dozens of complaints that have attempted to ban its use in agriculture with real stories of deaths or poisoning, the product remains in force throughout the world.
As mentioned in a previous paragraph, the WHO considered the potential carcinogenic effects of glyphosate for animals, but this has never led to a definitive measure, that is, its ban. Another supposed harmful effect on health is the alteration of the endocrine system , which negatively affects reproduction.
The main risk groups for glyphosate are individuals who use it in their workplace and their families, especially children. Regardless of the type of diet we have, almost all human beings are exposed to the risks of this herbicide, since its contamination has a considerable scope, affecting animal and plant species, both terrestrial and aquatic.
Greenpeace proposes solving the glyphosate problem through organic farming , the most appropriate option to protect health while respecting the environment. In both agriculture and organic gardening and forestry, there are various control techniques to prevent the growth of weeds and the proliferation of insect pests.
For example, instead of using synthetic herbicides, both mechanical and manual elimination, crop rotation and even grazing are used. Furthermore, when spontaneous plants are found in areas adjacent to crops, they have great utility: feeding bees and other pollinating species and also providing shelter to those that collaborate with pest control naturally, since they feed on insects that affect crops.