Do cells of GMO plants saturated with Glyphosate and Dioxin Cause Autoimmune Diseases such as Cancerous breast tumors as indicated by the long term 2012 French study and Chronic Kidney Disease as indicated by study done in Sri Lanka.

Expert response from Dan Goldstein

Former Senior Science Fellow and Lead, Medical Sciences and Outreach, Monsanto Company

Wednesday, 02/03/2016 11:30

You mention several topics that have been answered on this website, so I can expand on the topics and link to other resources for additional information. 

Glyphosate has a 40 year history of safe use and the safety profile continues to grow as it undergoes continuous (and required) re-registration and approvals in countries across the globe.  In fact, health authorities (e.g. WHO), Scientific experts and communities (e.g. American Association for the Advancement of Science), and Government organizations around the world (e.g. European Commission) all share in the scientific consensus regarding the safety of glyphosate.  For statements from some of these scientific/regulatory bodies, please review this response:  does glyphosate cause cancer?  It is also worth pointing out that glyphosate does not contain dioxins.

Some people love to use misleading terms such as ‘saturate’ and ‘douse’ to perpetuate a myth that farmers indiscriminately and excessively spray pesticides.  In response, a series of four blogs on this topic was prepared by the National Wheat Foundation “Truth About Glyphosate” Series:

Part 1:  How do Wheat Growers use Glyphosate?              

Part 2:  Growing a Quality Wheat Crop with Glyphosate            

Part 3:  How does USDA Collect Farm Data?            

Part 4:  Why Does USDA Collect Farm Data?

The Seralini study (2012 French study) was reviewed by multiple global regulatory bodies including European Food Safety Authority and multiple independent scientists and ultimately was retracted.  They ALL concluded that the authors finding are not scientifically sound because of significant flaws in the study design, inadequate statistical analysis and highly selective representation of the data; therefore no valid conclusions should be drawn.  This is readily apparent by the three pictures of rats that were inhumanely used for the photo ops of tumors, but the missing photo from a control rat.  Controls would and did have tumors and they would look exactly like the tumors in the other treatment groups. This study has been extensively discussed on this site, please see this response for more information.  For additional reading on the topic here are two articles Forbes, Nature and a publication in EFSA Journal.

Jayasumana et al., (Chronic Kidney Disease study) attempts to associate glyphosate- based products with renal disorders, however there are no epidemiologic studies suggesting that exposures to glyphosate or glyphosate-based products will cause kidney disease either in Sri Lanka or elsewhere. Glyphosate does not cause renal injury in long term animal studies. The authors themselves state that they “have hypothesized” this relationship which has “not been given any serious consideration by investigators for the last two decades.” While speculative theories have a place in science, they need to be investigated and proven to be of practical use.  For more information on CKDu in Sri Lanka, please review this response by Dr. Dan Goldstein, MD.  Here is an excerpt:

“Chronic kidney disease of unknown cause (CKDu) has been a significant health issue in parts of Sri Lanka for many years.  The reasons for this have been explored at length by World Health Organization and by other experts and organizations in Sri Lanka and in other locations, and no clear cause has emerged.  There is no evidence that glyphosate causes or contributes to kidney failure in humans or animals. Many other statistical risk factors have been proposed, but none are proven to be causally related at this time despite decades of effort. These include, for example, exposure to metals or to fluoride, snake bite, dehydration, and use of non-prescription analgesics; and a recent publication documents that genetic predisposition may account for a substantial portion of CKDu risk”.