Dispute about glyphosate: “No plant poison is harmless” – Business Week

by Susanne Kutter

According to a study of the Greens glyphosate was detected in breast milk. How dangerous the plant killer is really? An interview with Roland Solecki from the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR).

Wirtschaftswoche: Mr Solecki, there is currently some excitement around the plant killer glyphosate. Had once agrochemical manufacturers like the US company Monsanto weed killer who kills any plant, praised as particularly environmentally friendly and compatible for humans and animals. The one could drink like a glass of water

Roland Solecki :. I know. There were advertisements in which someone a pesticide tipped to Wellington to document how harmless is the means. Fortunately such advertising is now past. Because of course no pesticide is harmless.

How dangerous is glyphosate?

This means irritates mucous membranes and eyes, is in very high doses also very harmful. This guinea pig are more sensitive than rats and mice. In rabbits that were given per kilogram of bodyweight fed 50 milligrams per kilogram of glyphosate, still no effect could be detected, from 100 milligrams per kilogram researchers observed adverse effects. First deaths have occurred only at a dose of 200 milligrams per kilogram. In humans, the dose is much higher.

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How do you know where yet react even rabbits and mice so different?

Because it poisonings and suicides with glyphosate were in South America and Asia. From this, the lethal dose for humans expect back.

In the breast milk of 16 women glyphosate was a week ago in Germany also found.

Yes, but those commissioned by the Greens study has several weaknesses. Thus, the methodology used by the laboratory, for detection of Glyhposat in a lipid matrix is ​​neither suitable nor approved for official testing. We call it validated. The highest value of 0.43 indicated there nanograms per liter – where a nanogram is a billionth of a gram – is below the detection limit, which can be measured with the usual and for validated methods at all. Nor do we know how these 16 women were selected – and the number of studies is too small, so as to obtain truly meaningful conclusions. But let’s go this matter to have been in contact with many laboratories and the relevant state examination offices and, if necessary, initiate its own investigations.

And if the information study are?

Then there is the highest measured value is apparently so low that we start at the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment in collaboration with the National Breastfeeding Committee believes that this is completely harmless. That is, a six kilos heavier infant could ingest daily 1.8 milligram glyphosate for a longer period without causing a health problem.

So several thousand liters of milk?

You can calculate yourself.

For drinking water but only 0.1 nanograms glyphosate are approved. And above this value the breast milk would indeed be well, right?

The specification for the drinking water is a pure precautionary value that applies equally to all pesticides. He has nothing to do with the actual hazard potential of a substance. The idea is that we want to have as little as possible of biologically active substances in the water.