Locally used herbicide linked to kidney disease

Lawrence Seretse | Tuesday March 25, 2014 15:15

A senior source at the Plant Protection Division informed Mmegi that the herbicide which contains glyphosate, an active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup, was still being widely used in Botswana for weeds control. 

A few days ago Sri Lanka became the first to order a ban on its usage following reports that the chemical may be linked to a kidney disease killing agricultural workers.

The Plant Protection Division was not aware of the ban nor of the health risks allegedly said to be linked to this herbicide.

“It is good when killing weeds in the field. After you use it you will realise rapid growth in the areas where there used to be no greenery because it does not kill the seed.  It is mainly used around November before ploughing season,” he said.

It has been reported that an investigation carried out by medical specialists and scientists has revealed that the kidney disease was mainly caused by glyphosate.

Roundup is used all over the world, including in Botswana and other countries that do not suffer from this distinct form of kidney disease. The Minister of Agriculture, Christiaan de Graaff also said that he was not aware of the report or the health factors raised about the herbicide.

“I would like to have a look at the study first and then we can discuss,” De Graaff said. Dr Channa Jayasumana, the study’s principal author, contends that glyphosate, which forms powerful chemical bonds with heavy metals, enters into compounds that persist in drinking water until they break down in people’s kidneys. It is the combination of heavy water and Roundup or other glyphosate products, he argued, that place the population at risk.

In the report, Jayasumana contends Monsanto failed in its obligations to warn the public of the health risks posed by glyphosate when used in areas with heavy water.  Glyphosate was originally patented as a chelating agent – a substance useful for its ability to form strong chemical bonds with metals – so Monsanto was aware of these properties, Jayasumana said in the study. “Glyphosate acts as a carrier or a vector of these heavy metals to the kidney,” she pointed out.

One study published last August by Sri Lankan health officials in partnership with the World Health Organisation found that urine samples of sick patients had elevated levels of cadmium.  It also found that 65 percent of patients’ urine samples had traces of glyphosate.