Stop using glyphosate for weed control in the City of Port Phillip
Stop using glyphosate for weed control in the City of Port Phillip
The issue
To the Mayor and Councillors of the Port Phillip City Council,
The Petition of the following named residents draws the attention of the Council to our concerns regarding the reintroduction of the herbicide glyphosate.
At its July 5 Council meeting, the City of Port Phillip resolved to reintroduce the use of Roundup® (glyphosate) a broad-spectrum herbicide which is used as a weed killer. Council has proposed using Glyphosate in ‘low risk areas’ including laneways and roadside reserves.[1] Council proposes to continue to prohibit its use in high-risk areas such as at childcare centres, near playgrounds and open spaces.[2]
Key Points
• Other councils such as Merri-bek council have been trialling alternate and safer methods of weed control. In Europe, many countries have banned Glyphosate including Germany which has approved legislation to ban Glyphosate by 1 January 2024.[3]
• The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified Glyphosate as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A).
• Young children spend much of their time at or close to ground level where pesticides settle, by nature of their size. This also makes them more vulnerable to toxin exposure than adults as they will take in higher concentrations of everything.
• The literature suggests that there is a risk to children and adults associated with the use of Glyphosate. Dog owners also routinely comment that their dogs experience changes in their health status after being exposed to areas where glyphosate has been sprayed.
• The City of Port Phillip is also exposing itself to significant potential liability. The first class action in Australia against the manufacturers of Roundup has recently begun in the Federal Court.
• We ask why is council proceeding with using a herbicide that has a risk profile?
We ask that the City of Port Phillip and Parks Victoria cease using Roundup and glyphosate products on our streets, sportsgrounds, dog parks, playgrounds and parklands.
Further, more detailed commentary can be found below.
In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the specialized cancer agency from the World Health Organization (WHO), classified this herbicide as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A). The IARC recognized strong evidence for genotoxicity for technical glyphosate and formulations based on 1000 studies.[4] A 2019 a meta-analysis identified a 41% increase in non-Hodgkin lymphoma among exposed workers[5]
Glyphosate, a non-selective systemic biocide with broad-spectrum activity, is the most widely used herbicide in the world. It has been shown that exposure to this pesticide during the early stages of life can seriously affect normal cell development by deregulating some of the signalling pathways involved in this process, leading to alterations in differentiation, neuronal growth, and myelination.[6]
The half-life of glyphosate in soil can range from 1 to 280 days, while that of aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), its main metabolite, ranges from 23 to 958 days.[7] In general, the half-life of glyphosate in water varies from a few days to 91 days[8] although it has been found to remain for up to 315 days in marine waters.[9]
More recent data on glyphosate contamination in the environment suggests that acute toxicity may not be as relevant as toxicity from chronic exposure over time to lower concentrations of this compound. This is supported by studies which demonstrate the detection of glyphosate in the organs and urine of farm animals and farmers. [10] Glyphosate residue has also been found in 60-80% of the general population of the United States.[11]
A series of studies show that glyphosate and its commercial formulations can produce detrimental effects on the human nervous system. These investigations have shown that glyphosate can cross and affect the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and cause various types of short-term or long-term disturbances in the human nervous system.[12]
Young children spend much of their time at or close to ground level where pesticides settle, by nature of their size. Further, children who are crawling and early walkers are developmentally inclined to place both their hands and things that they find in their mouths increasing their risk of exposure. The developing body of a child is more sensitive to toxin exposure than adults as they will take in higher concentrations of everything. Relative to their size, children eat, breathe and drink more than adults so they are particularly vulnerable to toxic chemicals. A recently published study of 480 mother-child pairs followed from pregnancy to age 18, demonstrated that childhood exposure to glyphosate is linked to liver inflammation and metabolic disorder in early adulthood, which could lead to liver cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease later in life.[13]
Port Phillip Councils own report suggests ‘it is prudent to consider limiting Glyphosate use in and around waterways, waterbodies, and near standing water, such as in kerb and gutters.’[14] However this appears to contradict COPP’s proposal to use Glyphosate in ‘low risk areas’ including laneways and roadside reserves which are bordered by kerbs and gutters.
COPP also states in their report that signage is to be displayed at the time of spraying in reserves and for dye to allow the applicator to ensure full coverage and the community to identify where spraying has occurred.[15] How long will the signage be up and how long will the dye last?
The literature suggests that there is a risk to children and adults associated with the use of Glyphosate. Dog owners also routinely comment that their dogs experience changes in their health status after being exposed to areas where glyphosate has been sprayed. Why is council proceeding with using a herbicide with a risk profile?
The City of Port Phillip is also exposing itself to significant potential liability. In June 2020, Bayer the company responsible for Roundup announced that it would pay more than US $10 billion to end tens of thousands of cancer lawsuits filed over its Roundup weedkiller.[16] The first class action in Australia against the manufacturers of Roundup has recently begun in the Federal Court, with 9 weeks set aside for the Melbourne trial.[17]
We ask that the city of Port Phillip and Parks Victoria cease using Roundup and glyphosate products on our streets, sportsgrounds, dog parks, playgrounds and parklands.
Weeds are genetically adapting and building resistance to glyphosate
Besides potential environmental and human health risks there is also a growing frequency of resistance evolution in numerous weed species that have been frequently treated with glyphosate.
[1] See: Meeting of the Port Phillip City Council, 5 July 2023. Council Parks and Open Space Maintenance- Herbicide approach for treatment of weeds. Prepared by Mark Thompson, Acting Manager Maintenance and Assets, Point 2.8. Available: https://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/media/kpqfawjn/report-10-1-council-parks-open-space-maintenance-herbicide-approach.pdf
[2] https://haveyoursay.portphillip.vic.gov.au/managing-weeds-our-open-and-urban-spaces
[3]https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/report/downloadreportbyfilename?filename=Germany%20Announces%20Glyphosate%20Phase-Out%20Plan_Berlin_Germany_9-13-2019.pdf
[4] International Agency for Research on Cancer. World Health Organization. IARC monograph on glyphosate. https://www.iarc.fr/featured-news/media-centre-iarc-news-glyphosate
[5] Zhang L, Rana I, Shaffer RM, Taioli E, Sheppard L. Exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides and risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma: A meta-analysis and supporting evidence. Mutat Res. 2019;781:186-206.
[6] Masood M.I., Naseem M., Warda S.A., Tapia-Laliena M., Rehman H.U., Nasim M.J., Schäfer K.H. Environment permissible concentrations of glyphosate in drinking water can influence the fate of neural stem cells from the subventricular zone of the postnatal mouse. Environ. Pollut. 2020;270:116179, Szepanowski F., Szepanowski L.-P., Mausberg A.K., Albrecht P., Kleinschnitz C., Kieseier B.C., Stettner M. Differential impact of pure glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicide in a model of peripheral nervous system myelination. Acta Neuropathol. 2018;136:979–982, Da Silva K.N., Cappellaro L.G., Ueda C.N., Rodrigues L., Remor A.P., Martins R.D.P., Latini A., Glaser V. Glyphosate-based herbicide impairs energy metabolism and increases autophagy in C6 astroglioma cell line. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health Part A. 2020;83:153–167.
[7] Bento C.P.M., Yang X., Gort G., Xue S., van Dam R., Zomer P., Mol H.G.J., Ritsema C.J., Geissen V. Persistence of glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid in loess soil under different combinations of temperature, soil moisture and light/darkness. Sci. Total Environ. 2016;572:301–311.
[8] Berman M.C., Marino D., Quiroga M.V., Zagarese H. Occurrence and levels of glyphosate and AMPA in shallow lakes from the Pampean and Patagonian regions of Argentina. Chemosphere. 2018;200:513–522.
[9] Mercurio P., Flores F., Mueller J.F., Carter S., Negri A.P. Glyphosate persistence in seawater. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 2014;85:385–390.
[10] Krüger M., Schledorn P., Schrödl W., Hoppe H.W., Lutz W., Shehata A.A. Detection of Glyphosate Residues in Animals and Humans. J. Environ. Anal. Toxicol. 2014
[11] Van Bruggen A.H.C., He M.M., Shin K., Mai V., Jeong K.C., Finckh M.R., Morris J.G., Jr. Environmental and health effects of the herbicide glyphosate. Sci. Total Environ. 2018
[12] Von Ehrenstein O.S., Ling C., Cui X., Cockburn M., Park A.S., Yu F., Wu J., Ritz B. Prenatal and infant exposure to ambient pesticides and autism spectrum disorder in children: Population based case-control study. BMJ. 2019;364:l962, Martinez A., Al-Ahmad A.J. Effects of glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid on an isogeneic model of the human blood-brain barrier. Toxicol. Lett. 2018, Martínez M.-A., Rodriguez-Gutierrez J.-L., Torres B.L., Martínez M., Martínez-Larrañaga M.-R., Maximiliano J.-E., Anadón A., Ares I. Use of human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells to evaluate glyphosate-induced effects on oxidative stress, neuronal development and cell death signaling pathways. Environ. Int. 2019
[13] Eskenazi B, Gunier RB, Rauch S, Kogut K, Perito ER, Mendez X, Limbach C, Holland N, Bradman A, Harley KG, Mills PJ, Mora AM. Association of Lifetime Exposure to Glyphosate and Aminomethylphosphonic Acid (AMPA) with Liver Inflammation and Metabolic Syndrome at Young Adulthood: Findings from the CHAMACOS Study. Environ Health Perspect. 2023 Mar;131(3)
[14] Notes from COPP Ordinary Council Meeting 5 July 2023. See Point 8.10 https://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/media/kpqfawjn/report-10-1-council-parks-open-space-maintenance-herbicide-approach.pdf
[15] Notes from COPP Ordinary Council Meeting 5 July 2023. https://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/media/kpqfawjn/report-10-1-council-parks-open-space-maintenance-herbicide-approach.pdf
[16] https://www.npr.org/2020/06/24/882949098/bayer-to-pay-more-than-10-billion-to-resolve-roundup-cancer-lawsuits
[17] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-04/roundup-class-action-monsanto-melbourne-federal-court/102810274
237
The issue
To the Mayor and Councillors of the Port Phillip City Council,
The Petition of the following named residents draws the attention of the Council to our concerns regarding the reintroduction of the herbicide glyphosate.
At its July 5 Council meeting, the City of Port Phillip resolved to reintroduce the use of Roundup® (glyphosate) a broad-spectrum herbicide which is used as a weed killer. Council has proposed using Glyphosate in ‘low risk areas’ including laneways and roadside reserves.[1] Council proposes to continue to prohibit its use in high-risk areas such as at childcare centres, near playgrounds and open spaces.[2]
Key Points
• Other councils such as Merri-bek council have been trialling alternate and safer methods of weed control. In Europe, many countries have banned Glyphosate including Germany which has approved legislation to ban Glyphosate by 1 January 2024.[3]
• The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified Glyphosate as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A).
• Young children spend much of their time at or close to ground level where pesticides settle, by nature of their size. This also makes them more vulnerable to toxin exposure than adults as they will take in higher concentrations of everything.
• The literature suggests that there is a risk to children and adults associated with the use of Glyphosate. Dog owners also routinely comment that their dogs experience changes in their health status after being exposed to areas where glyphosate has been sprayed.
• The City of Port Phillip is also exposing itself to significant potential liability. The first class action in Australia against the manufacturers of Roundup has recently begun in the Federal Court.
• We ask why is council proceeding with using a herbicide that has a risk profile?
We ask that the City of Port Phillip and Parks Victoria cease using Roundup and glyphosate products on our streets, sportsgrounds, dog parks, playgrounds and parklands.
Further, more detailed commentary can be found below.
In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the specialized cancer agency from the World Health Organization (WHO), classified this herbicide as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A). The IARC recognized strong evidence for genotoxicity for technical glyphosate and formulations based on 1000 studies.[4] A 2019 a meta-analysis identified a 41% increase in non-Hodgkin lymphoma among exposed workers[5]
Glyphosate, a non-selective systemic biocide with broad-spectrum activity, is the most widely used herbicide in the world. It has been shown that exposure to this pesticide during the early stages of life can seriously affect normal cell development by deregulating some of the signalling pathways involved in this process, leading to alterations in differentiation, neuronal growth, and myelination.[6]
The half-life of glyphosate in soil can range from 1 to 280 days, while that of aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), its main metabolite, ranges from 23 to 958 days.[7] In general, the half-life of glyphosate in water varies from a few days to 91 days[8] although it has been found to remain for up to 315 days in marine waters.[9]
More recent data on glyphosate contamination in the environment suggests that acute toxicity may not be as relevant as toxicity from chronic exposure over time to lower concentrations of this compound. This is supported by studies which demonstrate the detection of glyphosate in the organs and urine of farm animals and farmers. [10] Glyphosate residue has also been found in 60-80% of the general population of the United States.[11]
A series of studies show that glyphosate and its commercial formulations can produce detrimental effects on the human nervous system. These investigations have shown that glyphosate can cross and affect the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and cause various types of short-term or long-term disturbances in the human nervous system.[12]
Young children spend much of their time at or close to ground level where pesticides settle, by nature of their size. Further, children who are crawling and early walkers are developmentally inclined to place both their hands and things that they find in their mouths increasing their risk of exposure. The developing body of a child is more sensitive to toxin exposure than adults as they will take in higher concentrations of everything. Relative to their size, children eat, breathe and drink more than adults so they are particularly vulnerable to toxic chemicals. A recently published study of 480 mother-child pairs followed from pregnancy to age 18, demonstrated that childhood exposure to glyphosate is linked to liver inflammation and metabolic disorder in early adulthood, which could lead to liver cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease later in life.[13]
Port Phillip Councils own report suggests ‘it is prudent to consider limiting Glyphosate use in and around waterways, waterbodies, and near standing water, such as in kerb and gutters.’[14] However this appears to contradict COPP’s proposal to use Glyphosate in ‘low risk areas’ including laneways and roadside reserves which are bordered by kerbs and gutters.
COPP also states in their report that signage is to be displayed at the time of spraying in reserves and for dye to allow the applicator to ensure full coverage and the community to identify where spraying has occurred.[15] How long will the signage be up and how long will the dye last?
The literature suggests that there is a risk to children and adults associated with the use of Glyphosate. Dog owners also routinely comment that their dogs experience changes in their health status after being exposed to areas where glyphosate has been sprayed. Why is council proceeding with using a herbicide with a risk profile?
The City of Port Phillip is also exposing itself to significant potential liability. In June 2020, Bayer the company responsible for Roundup announced that it would pay more than US $10 billion to end tens of thousands of cancer lawsuits filed over its Roundup weedkiller.[16] The first class action in Australia against the manufacturers of Roundup has recently begun in the Federal Court, with 9 weeks set aside for the Melbourne trial.[17]
We ask that the city of Port Phillip and Parks Victoria cease using Roundup and glyphosate products on our streets, sportsgrounds, dog parks, playgrounds and parklands.
Weeds are genetically adapting and building resistance to glyphosate
Besides potential environmental and human health risks there is also a growing frequency of resistance evolution in numerous weed species that have been frequently treated with glyphosate.
[1] See: Meeting of the Port Phillip City Council, 5 July 2023. Council Parks and Open Space Maintenance- Herbicide approach for treatment of weeds. Prepared by Mark Thompson, Acting Manager Maintenance and Assets, Point 2.8. Available: https://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/media/kpqfawjn/report-10-1-council-parks-open-space-maintenance-herbicide-approach.pdf
[2] https://haveyoursay.portphillip.vic.gov.au/managing-weeds-our-open-and-urban-spaces
[3]https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/report/downloadreportbyfilename?filename=Germany%20Announces%20Glyphosate%20Phase-Out%20Plan_Berlin_Germany_9-13-2019.pdf
[4] International Agency for Research on Cancer. World Health Organization. IARC monograph on glyphosate. https://www.iarc.fr/featured-news/media-centre-iarc-news-glyphosate
[5] Zhang L, Rana I, Shaffer RM, Taioli E, Sheppard L. Exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides and risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma: A meta-analysis and supporting evidence. Mutat Res. 2019;781:186-206.
[6] Masood M.I., Naseem M., Warda S.A., Tapia-Laliena M., Rehman H.U., Nasim M.J., Schäfer K.H. Environment permissible concentrations of glyphosate in drinking water can influence the fate of neural stem cells from the subventricular zone of the postnatal mouse. Environ. Pollut. 2020;270:116179, Szepanowski F., Szepanowski L.-P., Mausberg A.K., Albrecht P., Kleinschnitz C., Kieseier B.C., Stettner M. Differential impact of pure glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicide in a model of peripheral nervous system myelination. Acta Neuropathol. 2018;136:979–982, Da Silva K.N., Cappellaro L.G., Ueda C.N., Rodrigues L., Remor A.P., Martins R.D.P., Latini A., Glaser V. Glyphosate-based herbicide impairs energy metabolism and increases autophagy in C6 astroglioma cell line. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health Part A. 2020;83:153–167.
[7] Bento C.P.M., Yang X., Gort G., Xue S., van Dam R., Zomer P., Mol H.G.J., Ritsema C.J., Geissen V. Persistence of glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid in loess soil under different combinations of temperature, soil moisture and light/darkness. Sci. Total Environ. 2016;572:301–311.
[8] Berman M.C., Marino D., Quiroga M.V., Zagarese H. Occurrence and levels of glyphosate and AMPA in shallow lakes from the Pampean and Patagonian regions of Argentina. Chemosphere. 2018;200:513–522.
[9] Mercurio P., Flores F., Mueller J.F., Carter S., Negri A.P. Glyphosate persistence in seawater. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 2014;85:385–390.
[10] Krüger M., Schledorn P., Schrödl W., Hoppe H.W., Lutz W., Shehata A.A. Detection of Glyphosate Residues in Animals and Humans. J. Environ. Anal. Toxicol. 2014
[11] Van Bruggen A.H.C., He M.M., Shin K., Mai V., Jeong K.C., Finckh M.R., Morris J.G., Jr. Environmental and health effects of the herbicide glyphosate. Sci. Total Environ. 2018
[12] Von Ehrenstein O.S., Ling C., Cui X., Cockburn M., Park A.S., Yu F., Wu J., Ritz B. Prenatal and infant exposure to ambient pesticides and autism spectrum disorder in children: Population based case-control study. BMJ. 2019;364:l962, Martinez A., Al-Ahmad A.J. Effects of glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid on an isogeneic model of the human blood-brain barrier. Toxicol. Lett. 2018, Martínez M.-A., Rodriguez-Gutierrez J.-L., Torres B.L., Martínez M., Martínez-Larrañaga M.-R., Maximiliano J.-E., Anadón A., Ares I. Use of human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells to evaluate glyphosate-induced effects on oxidative stress, neuronal development and cell death signaling pathways. Environ. Int. 2019
[13] Eskenazi B, Gunier RB, Rauch S, Kogut K, Perito ER, Mendez X, Limbach C, Holland N, Bradman A, Harley KG, Mills PJ, Mora AM. Association of Lifetime Exposure to Glyphosate and Aminomethylphosphonic Acid (AMPA) with Liver Inflammation and Metabolic Syndrome at Young Adulthood: Findings from the CHAMACOS Study. Environ Health Perspect. 2023 Mar;131(3)
[14] Notes from COPP Ordinary Council Meeting 5 July 2023. See Point 8.10 https://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/media/kpqfawjn/report-10-1-council-parks-open-space-maintenance-herbicide-approach.pdf
[15] Notes from COPP Ordinary Council Meeting 5 July 2023. https://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/media/kpqfawjn/report-10-1-council-parks-open-space-maintenance-herbicide-approach.pdf
[16] https://www.npr.org/2020/06/24/882949098/bayer-to-pay-more-than-10-billion-to-resolve-roundup-cancer-lawsuits
[17] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-04/roundup-class-action-monsanto-melbourne-federal-court/102810274
237
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Petition created on 5 October 2023