Glyphosate as a Chelating Agent: Toxic Impact on Plants and Humans

Glyphosate as a Chelating Agent

The word “chelation” comes from a Greek word meaning a crab’s claw. Some molecules are able to “grab” metals by forming a chemical bond with them. That process is called chelation and the molecule doing the grabbing is the chelating agent.

Chelating agents can grab heavy metals that are poisoning soil and groundwater and make them available for uptake by plants. This can be used to clean up toxic soil and groundwaters by trapping heavy metals in plants. But it can also increase plant toxicity.

Chelating agents can also harm plants by impeding the uptake of trace minerals that are essential to plants and organisms. By forming chemical bonds with micronutrients such as iron, zinc, manganese, boron, molybdenum, and cobalt, chelating agents inhibit the ability of plants to take up these minerals.

In short, a glyphosate chelating agent may affect plants in two ways, either by increasing their toxicity or by limiting their micronutrient uptake, which could reduce micronutrient uptake by humans.

The authors cite several greenhouse studies that demonstrated negative effects on crops that have been genetically modified to resist glyphosate. Among the effects seen in these studies are lowered micronutrient and macronutrient (calcium, magnesium, nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus) concentrations in the plants. These nutrients play critical roles in human health and development.

Zinc Deficiency

A report from Oregon State University calls zinc deficiency a global concern, citing a study that found “DNA damage in humans caused by only minor zinc deficiency.” Zinc deficiency is a major problem in Africa and South-east Asia, where glyphosate resistant crops are heavily promoted by Monsanto. According to a report from the World Health Organization, “zinc deficiency was estimated to cause 176,000 diarrhea deaths, 406,000 pneumonia deaths and 207,000 malaria deaths.” (See Chapter on Zinc Deficiency.)

Glyphosate also has similar effects on non-glyphosate resistant (GR) plants. One of the dangers of herbicides is that plants that were not intended to be sprayed become exposed to the poison. This can happen through the air (called “drift”) or via herbicide-contaminated soil. The authors review one study in which scientists simulated the exposure of sunflowers at levels that would be expected due to glyphosate drift or glyphosate residues in the soil. This resulted in a substantial reduction in the plants’ uptake of iron and manganese. The authors of the drift study concluded that glyphosate residues or drift may result in severe impairments in iron and manganese in nontarget plants. (Iron deficiency is a common problem in soybean production, 90% of which comes from Roundup Ready crops.)

The authors of this review make an important point regarding glyphosate as a chelating agent. There are other chemicals in commercial formulations of Roundup that may also act as chelating agents. Other additives may enhance glyphosate’s chelating ability. Consideration of these factors, say the authors, is not a regular part of the approval process for glyphosate formulations like Roundup.

Glyphosate – Impact on Plant Microorganisms

Glyphosate also effects microorganisms that interact with plants. Certain bacteria, for example, transform nitrogen in the atmosphere into nitrogen-containing compounds (e.g., ammonia) that plants can use. This is known as nitrogen fixation.

Reduced nitrogen fixation has been reported both in glyphosate-resistant soybeans and in non-glyphosate-resistant soybeans exposed to spray drift rates of glyphosate. In other research, beneficial bacteria that resisted fungal pathogens and provided manganese in a form that could be taken up by plants, were significantly reduced by glyphosate. Manganese-deficient plants are more vulnerable to root-infecting pathogens.

Other micronutrients (calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper) affected by glyphosate also play a role in plant disease. Microorganisms in the soil around the roots of a plant, an area known as the rhizosphere, are also affected by micronutrient availability. Researchers who studied microorganisms in the rhizosphere of glyphosate-resistant corn and soybean plant roots found evidence of decreased availability of several nutrients in the soil, including iron, nitrogen, and phosphorus. They pointed to glyphosate’s chelating action as a likely explanation for the reduced bioavailability.

Glyphosate – Impact on Humans and Animals

According to the authors of this review, “… food and feed derived from GBH [glyphosate-based herbicides] treated plants can contain significant amounts of glyphosate and AMPA residues and probably also residues of formulants such as POEA.” POEA (polyethoxylated tallowamine) is a surfactant that is added to increase glyphosate’s penetration of the leaf surface.) POEA and several other “formulants” – allegedly inert substances that are added to Roundup – have been found to be far more toxic than glyphosate.

Several scientists have proposed that glyphosate residues and low levels of micronutrients in foods from GBH treated plants contribute to several diseases in the United States. Many of the factors associated with celiac disease are explainable as the effects of glyphosate’s effects, including deficiencies in trace minerals such as iron, cobalt, molybdenum, and copper. Other investigators have tied manganese deficiencies to neurological diseases, such as autism, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease.

The impact of glyphosate as a chelating agent for heavy metals surfaced in research conducted in Sri Lanka, where researchers linked simultaneous exposure to heavy metals and glyphosate to chronic kidney disease. The disease has become a significant public health problem in certain regions.

The authors, who are based in Germany, point out that the European Food Safety Authority “did not provide data on potential impacts of glyphosate on plant nutrient availability” or its impact as a chelator in is review of glyphosate. They call for further research into the impact of glyphosate as a chelating agent as well as other formulants found in glyphosate-based herbicides.

Summary Information

Title
Glyphosate, a chelating agent—relevant for ecological risk assessment?

Authors
Martha Mertens¹, Sebastian Höss¹, Günter Neumann², Joshua Afzal², Wolfram Reichenbecher³

1. Institute for Biodiversity Network e.V. (ibn), Nußbergerstr. 6a,93059 Regensburg, Germany
2. Institute of Crop Science (340h), University of Hohenheim,70599 Stuttgart, Germany
3. Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), Konstantinstr. 110,53179 Bonn, Germany

Journal
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, published online, January 2, 2018

Funding
Partly funded by a Grant of the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, “Glyphosat als Komplexbildner – Stand des Wissens.”