55% of sperm samples contained high levels of glyphosate Weedkiller

Sustainable Pulse
Thu, 23 May 2024 00:00 UTC

© Children's Health Defense

More than 55% of sperm samples from a French infertility clinic contained high levels of glyphosate, the world's most common weedkiller, raising further questions about the chemical's impact on reproductive health and overall safety, a new study found.

The new research also found evidence of impacts on DNA and a correlation between glyphosate levels and oxidative stress on seminal plasma, suggesting significant impacts on fertility and reproductive health.

Taken together, our results suggest a negative impact of glyphosate on human reproductive health and possibly on progeny," the authors wrote.

The paper comes as researchers look for answers to why global fertility rates are dropping, and many suspect exposure to toxic chemicals like glyphosate is a significant driver of the decline.

Glyphosate is used on a wide range of food crops and in residential settings in the U.S.

The most popular glyphosate-based product is Monsanto's Roundup weedkiller, which has been at the center of legal and regulatory battles in recent years.

U.S. government research from 2023 found genotoxicity in farmers with high levels of the herbicide in their blood, suggesting an association between it and cancer.

In December 2023, a group of top U.S. public health advocacy groups petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ban the product, though its defenders have said there is no definitive proof of its toxicity to humans. Still, dozens of countries have banned or restricted its use.

The levels French researchers found in sperm were four times higher than in the men's blood, which the authors wrote is the first time the comparison had been made. They called the finding "worrying," and it suggests the chemical is particularly dangerous for reproductive systems.

Oxidative stress "is considered to be one of the most important factors in male fertility by regulating the vitality and functionality of mammalian spermatozoa", the authors wrote, and they found a "significant positive correlation" between stress and glyphosate levels.

Agricultural workers recorded the highest glyphosate levels, and 96% of farmers included in the study had at least some. A landscaper also showed among the highest levels, and smokers typically had elevated levels much higher than those who did not smoke. Eating organic produce did not have a clear impact on levels.

The study's authors wrote it "would be wise for regulators to apply a precautionary principle" in regulation, which means erring on the side of caution to protect human health until further research can be done to confirm the problems identified in the study.

Comment: What with glyphosate and other environmental toxins in sperm and the accumulation of microplastics and the spike protein in the testes, no wonder fertility is declining!

Researchers who authored the journal article in Translational Andrology and Urology titled 'Impact of environmental toxin exposure on male fertility potential' came to this conclusion:

Two things are clear — we are continuously exposed to environmental toxins in our daily lives and male fertility is declining. Though there is some evidence to suggest a link between these environmental exposures and male fertility, irrefutable evidence linking these everyday toxins to the known male fertility decline is elusive. This is not due to a lack of evidence of these agents to cause reproductive harm but is attributable to the complex longitudinal studies required to establish causality and the ethical concerns of conducting prospective clinical trials involving human exposures. Additionally, while these toxins may result in impairments in semen parameters, it remains to be determined if these changes translate into diminished pregnancy and live birth rates.

Until more is known about how our environment affects male fertility, exposure to these compounds should be minimized and avoidance practiced where feasible. The reproductive health of future generations will likely hinge on several factors, including the empowerment of governmental organizations to establish concentration limits, abolish the use of some substances and increasingly regulate the use of agents with potential reproductive harm. This requires a proactive and precautionary approach as opposed to a reactionary one, waiting until the harm is manifest, which is the current regulatory paradigm.

If only the government put people before profit.