Ecotoxicological assessment of glyphosate‐based herbicides: Effects on different organisms

Abstract

Glyphosate-based herbicides are the most commonly used worldwide because they are effective and relatively nontoxic to nontarget species. Unlimited and uncontrolled use of such pesticides can have serious consequences for human health and ecological balance. The present study evaluated the acute toxicity and genotoxicity of 2 glyphosate-based formulations, Roundup Original (Roundup) and Glyphosate AKB 480 (AKB), on different organisms: cucumber (Cucumis sativus), lettuce (Lactuca sativa), and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) seeds, and microcrustacean Artemia salina and zebrafish (Danio rerio) early life stages. For the germination endpoint, only L. esculentum presented significant sensitivity to AKB and L. sativa to Roundup, whereas both formulations significantly inhibited the root growth of all species tested. Both AKB and Roundup induced significant toxicity to A. salina; both are classified as category 3, which indicates a hazard for the aquatic environment, according to criteria of the Globally Harmonized Classification System. However, Roundup was more toxic than AKB, with 48-h median lethal concentration (LC50) values of 14.19 mg/L and 37.53 mg/L, respectively. For the embryo-larval toxicity test, Roundup proved more toxic than AKB for the mortality endpoint (96-h LC50 values of 10.17 mg/L and 27.13 mg/L, respectively), whereas for the hatching parameter, AKB was more toxic than Roundup. No significant genotoxicity to zebrafish larvae was found. We concluded that AKB and Roundup glyphosate-based formulations are phytotoxic and induce toxic effects in nontarget organisms such as A. salina and zebrafish early life stages. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1755-1763. © 2016 SETAC.

Bioconcentration model for non‐ionic, polar, and ionizable organic compounds in amphipod

“…With growing scientific and public concern, PIOCs have emerged as contaminants of major concern (Boxall et al ). They include many pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and industrial chemicals with potent ecotoxicological effects (de Brito Rodrigues et al ; Parolini et al ; Thorngren et al ; Villeneuve et al ; Young et al ). Aquatic organisms are particularly vulnerable to their presence because a number of PIOCs are detected in different water bodies and can persist through harsh treatment processes (Maruya et al ; Cantwell et al ; Sadaria et al ).…”

Effects of glyphosate and its commercial formulation, Roundup® Ultramax, on liver histology of tadpoles of the neotropical frog, Leptodactylus latrans (amphibia: Anura)

“…Ten non-overlapping sections, taken every 12 mm, were observed for each individual under an optical microscope (Nikon Eclipse E600), equipped with a digital camera (Nikon Digital Sight DSFi-Japan), using the program NIS-Elements F 3.0. The number of liver MMc and of MMCs per liver area, were determined according to de Oliveira et al (2016) and Perez-Iglesias et al, 2016, with minor modifications. Briefly: we counted the number of MMc and MMCs in each liver section, and performed the quotient per liver area.…”

“…Although it is said that glyphosate is innocuous for non-target species, there is current evidence of adverse effects of high concentrations of both glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides on non-target organisms (Annett et al, 2014;de Brito Rodrigues et al, 2016;Uren Webster et al, 2014). Specifically, lethal effects were shown in anuran larvae after the exposure to several glyphosatebased formulations (Annett et al, 2014;Bach et al, 2016;Bernal et al, 2009;Fuentes et al, 2011;Güng€ ordü, 2013;Howe et al, 2004;Mann and Bidwell, 1999;Moore et al, 2012;Relyea and Jones, 2009;Wagner et al, 2017a;Yadav et al, 2013).…”

“…Also, because of their phagogicitic nature, MMc can engulf foreign material and participate in the immune defense (Loumbourdis and Vogiatzis, 2002;Sichel et al, 2002;Wolke, 1992). It has also been shown that xenobiotics can alter MMc and MMC's abundance in the liver (Cakici, 2015; de Gregorio et al, 2016;de Oliveira et al, 2016;Franco-Belussi et al, 2013;Loumbourdis and Vogiatzis, 2002;Paunescu et al, 2010;Perez-Iglesias et al, 2016;Zieri et al, 2015) and then they have been proposed as cytological and immunological biomarkers (de Oliveira et al, 2016;Perez-Iglesias et al, 2016;Steinel and Bolnick, 2017). However, to the best of our knowledge, and taking into account the importance of evaluating the effects of xenobiotics in larval stages because of the biological differences and major sensitivity with respect to amphibian terrestrial stages (Mann and Bidwell, 1999;McDiarmid and Altig, 1999), there are no reports on the effects of glyphosate on histological effects on anuran larvae liver.…”

Chromosome Missegregation and Aneuploidy Induction in Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes In vitro by Low Concentrations of Chlorpyrifos, Imidacloprid and α‐Cypermethrin

“…The usage of pesticides is inevitable in contemporary agriculture and increases due to demands of more efficient food production of constantly growing world population (Marín-Benito et al, 2016). However, in spite to beneficial effect on crop yield, significant concern has been raised regarding pesticide adverse effects toward humans and other nontarget organisms (Maalej et al, 2007;Mostafalou and Abdollahi, 2013;De Brito Rodrigues et al, 2017), as well as their retention in soil and water ecosystems (Macneale et al, 2010;Ouyang et al, 2017). To address these issues while simultaneously aiming to provide sustainable food supply, a relatively novel approach to contemporary food production known as "green agriculture" is being increasingly more put in practice (Hjeresen and Gonzales, 2002;EU, 2007).…”