Roundup Herbicide 125 Times More Toxic Than Regulators SaySayer Ji Titled, Major pesticides are more toxic to human cells than their declared active principles, the study evaluated to what extent the active principle (AP) and the so-called inert ingredients, i.e. adjuvants, in globally popular formulations account for the toxicity of 9 major pesticides: 3 herbicides, 3 insecticides, and 3 fungicides. The Deceptive Semantics of Pesticide Formulations And Their Regulation The paper describes how the agrochemical industry conceals the true toxicity of their chemical formulations by focusing on the health risks associated with only one so-called active principle (AP) in their complex formulations, and sets the public up for mass poisoning through the determination of an acceptable level of harm via the calculation of the so-called acceptable daily intake (ADI) based on the toxicological risk profile of only a single ingredient: Dr. Kelly Brogan, MD, commented on this phenomena in connection with the study recently on her blog: Similar to the non-placebo-controlled trials on vaccines, adjuvants and preservatives are considered irrelevant bystanders in the consideration of risk profile. According to Dr. Brogan, an understanding of Toxicant synergy has exploded the simplistic notion of the dose makes the poison. The Test Method and Results In order to ascertain the toxicity of various chemical formulations and their ingredients, the researchers used embryonic (HEK293), placental (JEG3), and hepatic (HepG2) human cell lines, because they are well characterized and validated as useful models to test toxicities of pesticides, corresponding to what is observed on fresh tissue or primary cells. They noted, these cells lines are even in some instances less sensitive than primary cells, and therefore do not overestimate cellular toxicity. The researchers describe the their method of determining toxicity: The results of the study were clear. Except for one pesticide (Matin), All formulations were cytotoxic and far more toxic than their APs [active principles]. Key findings included: Discussion The researchers noted that theirs was the first study to test all these formulated pesticides on human cells at concentrations well below agricultural dilutions indicating the relevance of their results to every day human exposures. The researchers noted that in the present study, the cells were exposed to the chemicals for no longer than 48 hours, but in previous research they observed increased toxicity with time (i.e. time-amplifying effect), such that, the differential toxicity between the AP [active principle] glyphosate and Roundup is increased by 5 times in 72h. In accordance with this phenomena, they provide the example: The study discussion also addressed the profound problem in semantics indicated by the use of the term inert to describe chemical adjuvants that amplify the toxicity of the active principle (AP) in a herbicidal formulation by up t 1,000 times: According to the researchers, Roundup herbicide is emblematic of the cognitive dissonance between scientific fact and industrial claim to the still widely held belief that many of the chemicals routinely applied to our food and feed crops are relative safety: The researchers conclude their study by proposing their experimental results challenge the ultimate relevance of the acceptable daily intake (ADI), because it is calculated today from the toxicity of the AP alone in vivo. They go further and suggest that the ADIs should be revised taking into account an adjuvant factor, which would require a reduction by at least 100 be applied to ADIs, especially if their preliminary cell research is confirmed through future animal studies. This would mean that the present ADI for glyphosate which is .3 ppm should be reduced to 3 parts per billion or less. They note, however, that this will not replace direct study of the commercial formulation with its adjuvants in regulatory tests. They conclude the study with the following remarks: Clearly, research like this represents a paradigm shift in the way we look at agrochemical toxicity and the risk of exposure. If the harms associated with pesticidal or herbicidal contamination of our food,water, or air, are up to 1,000 times higher than the present regulatory system believes, we can no longer label as an acceptable level of harm the mass poisoning we are experiencing at the hands of the industrial, biotech and chemical-industry driven agricultural system. Join the free Food Revolution Summit to learn more about how we can take back control of our food system and our health by registering here. Notes: [i] Ethoxylated adjuvants of glyphosate-based herbicides are active principles of human cell toxicity. Mesnage R, Bernay B, Sralini GE Toxicology. 2013 Nov 16; 313(2-3):122-8. [PubMed] [Ref list] This article first appeared at GreenMedInfo. Please visit to access their vast database of articles and the latest information in natural health. 