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Two recent studies show Roundup to be an endocrine-disruptor and to be associated
with birth defects in humans who work with it.
Farmers who applied pesticides to their crops in Minnesota
were studied, along with their families, to see if their
exposure to pesticides caused birth defects in their
children. The study found that both fungicides and the
herbicide Roundup were linked to statistically significant
increases in birth defects. Roundup was linked to a
3-fold increase in neurodevelopmental (attention deficit)
disorders. (Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol.
110 Supplement 3 (June 2002), pgs. 441-449)
A test tube study also reported in the journal Environmental
Health Perspectives showed that Roundup can severely
reduce the ability of mouse cells to produce hormones.
Roundup interferes with a fundamental protein called
StAR (steroidogenic acute regulatory protein). The StAR
protein modulates the production of testosterone in
men (thus controlling male characteristics, including
sperm production) as well as the production of adrenal
hormone (essential for brain development), carbohydrate
metabolism (influencing loss or gain of weight), and
immune system function. The authors write that "a
disruption of the StAR protein may underlie many of
the toxic effects of environmental pollutants."
(Environmental Health Perspectives Vol. 108, No. 8 (August
2000), pgs. 769-776.)
Source: Rachel's Environment and Health
News, # 751, Sept. 5, 2002.
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