A study conducted in Germany has found traces of commonly used herbicide glyphosate in the urine of people from 18 European countries.

The study, commissioned by Friends of the Earth, was released on Thursday. Friends of the Earth said the findings raise concerns about levels of exposure to glyphosate-based weed killers, "commonly used by farmers, public authorities and gardeners across Europe." However, the study has attracted criticism from those who claim it is unscientific.

Upon the study's release, Friends of the Earth drew attention to the potential for increased use of glyphosate in Europe, which the environmental group said would accompany the incursion of genetically modified (GM) crops into the EU.

image expired

Some European leaders, including members of the UK government, have expressed support for GM crops and desire to 'open a dialogue' on growing more GM crops in Europe. To date, only one variety of the controversial crops is licensed for cultivation in the EU, and this has been outlawed in eleven of the 27 member states.

FoE said 14 such crops are currently awaiting EU approval, though the regulatory process has been deadlocked for several years due to a lack of agreement amongst legislators.

Crops engineered to resist applications of glyphosate herbicide are amongst the most commonly grown genetically modified crops, though in recent years problems with weeds developing resistance have emerged in the United States. Research conducted by the US Department for Agriculture and published last year revealed that herbicide use in the US has increased with widespread commercialisation of herbicide-tolerant crops.

Professor Charles Benbrook, who conducted the research, estimated that, for farmers reliant on GM crops, resistant weeds are "driving up the volume of herbicide needed each year by about 25 percent."

FoE said there is currently little monitoring for the presence of glyphosate "in food, water or the wider environment" and claimed the study, conducted by Dr Hans-Wolfgang Hoppe at Medical Laboratory Bremen, is the first example of testing for the presence of the weed killer in human bodies in Europe. The herbicide was detected in the urine of participants from every country examined, and found in 44 percent of the samples overall.

All of the participants in the study lived in cities and none had handled glyphosate, Friends of the Earth said. The proportion of positive samples varied by country; Malta, Germany, the UK and Poland showed the most positive tests, whereas lower levels were detected in Macedonia and Switzerland. Of the ten samples from the UK, seven tested positive for the weed-killer.

Friends of the Earth calls for EU action in response to study, though criticism abounds

Commenting on the findings, Adrian Bebb, a spokesperson for the organisation, said, "These results suggest we are being exposed to glyphosate in our everyday lives, yet we don't know where it is coming from, how widespread it is in the environment, or what it is doing to our health.

"Our testing highlights a serious lack of action by public authorities across Europe and indicates that this weed killer is being widely overused. Governments need to step-up their monitoring and bring in urgent measures to reduce its use. This includes rejecting any genetically modified crops that would increase the use of glyphosate."

He called on the European Union to investigate the issue, increase monitoring of the chemical's presence in the environment and in food and water, and to introduce immediate restrictions its use.

However, a number of scientists have criticised the study, which they claim is hyperbolic and "insubstantial". On Thursday, critics from UK institutes pointed out that the research has not been submitted for peer-review and, as such, "cannot be taken seriously."

Prof Tom Sanders, Head of the Nutritional Sciences Research Division at Kings College London, said, "Most samples were below the level of detection and the highest value found was less than 2 microgram (a millionth of a gram) per litre. 

"As most people excrete about 2.5 litres a day it would indicate the maximum intake was 5 micrograms, which is unlikely to be of any significance to health because it is 300 times lower than the level which might cause concern – even in the most vulnerable groups."

Prof Chris Pollock of Aberystwyth University, added, "Without access to the full methodology that would be part of a peer-reviewed paper it is not possible to comment on the sampling procedures, the experimental design, the accuracy or the biological significance of these observations. 

"That is why peer-review has become the gold standard to permit scientists to evaluate new information appropriately.  Furthermore, I don't believe that these observations, even if correct, allow one to draw any conclusions about ways in which individuals might have been exposed to these substances."