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Parvez et al., 2018

S. Parvez, R. R. Gerona, C. Proctor, M. Friesen, J. L. Ashby, J. L. Reiter, Z. Lui, and P. D. Winchester, “Glyphosate exposure in pregnancy and shortened gestational length: a prospective Indiana birth cohort study,” Environmental Health, 17:23, March 9, 2018, DOI: 10.1186/s12940-018-0367-0.

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND: Glyphosate (GLY) is the most heavily used herbicide worldwide but the extent of exposure in human pregnancy remains unknown. Its residues are found in the environment, major crops, and food items that humans, including pregnant women, consume daily. Since GLY exposure in pregnancy may also increase fetal exposure risk, we designed a birth-cohort study to determine exposure frequency, potential exposure pathways, and associations with fetal growth indicators and pregnancy length.

METHOD: Urine and residential drinking water samples were obtained from 71 women with singleton pregnancies living in Central Indiana while they received routine prenatal care. GLY measurements were performed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Demographic and survey information relating to food and water consumption, stress, and residence were obtained by questionnaire. Maternal risk factors and neonatal outcomes were abstracted from medical records. Correlation analyses were used to assess relationships of urine GLY levels with fetal growth indicators and gestational length.

RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 29 years, and the majority were Caucasian. Ninety three percent of the pregnant women had GLY levels above the limit of detection (0.1 ng/mL). Mean urinary GLY was 3.40 ng/mL (range 0.5–7.20 ng/mL). Higher GLY levels were found in women who lived in rural areas (p = 0.02), and in those who consumed > 24 oz. of caffeinated beverages per day (p = 0.004). None of the drinking water samples had detectable GLY levels. We observed no correlations with fetal growth indicators such as birth weight percentile and head circumference. However, higher GLY urine levels were significantly correlated with shortened gestational lengths (r = − 0.28, p = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study of GLY exposure in US pregnant women using urine specimens as a direct measure of exposure. We found that > 90% of pregnant women had detectable GLY levels and that these levels correlated significantly with shortened pregnancy lengths. Although our study cohort was small and regional and had limited racial/ethnic diversity, it provides direct evidence of maternal GLY exposure and a significant correlation with shortened pregnancy. Further investigations in a more geographically and racially diverse cohort would be necessary before these findings could be generalized. FULL TEXT

Mulvany and Parker, 2017

Lydia Mulvany and Mario Parker, “Monsanto Shrugs Off Herbicide Concerns With Surprise Profit,” Bloomberg, October 4, 2017.

SUMMARY

Reports on Monsanto’s rising economic fortunes. Stock prices were up recently 20 cents a share, even though analysts had estimated the company would be at a 42-cent loss. Monsanto attributes much of this to their new dicamba-resistant Xtend soybeans, and predicts a doubling of acres planted in 2018 to 40 million. FULL TEXT

Pucci, 2017

Jackie Pucci, “Missouri Latest State to Set Cut-off Dicamba Date for ’18,” CropLife, November 20, 2017.

SUMMARY:

Reports on the Dicamba ban on Engenia use in Missouri for 2018 after June 10 (some counties) or July 15 (all counties). Adds the detail that all applicators will be required to receive mandatory training by state Extension offices. FULL TEXT

FERN’s Ag Insider, 2017

FERN’s Ag Insider, “Missouri limits use of BASF’s dicamba weedkiller,” November 16,2017.

SUMMARY:

The Missouri Agriculture Department announces a partial ban on the use of BASF’s Engenia on cotton and soybeans. Engenia applicatiosn will be banned after June 10, 2018 in 10 southeastern counties most affected this year, and after July 15 across the rest of the state. Further restrictions on Monsanto and DuPont’s new dicamba formulations are forthcoming, the Department said. FULL TEXT

Davies, 2017

Steve Davies, “No dicamba use after April 15, Arkansas plant board says,” Agri-Pulse, November 8, 2017.

SUMMARY:

On Wednesday November 7, the Arkansas State Plant Board voted 10-3 to ban dicamba use between April 16-October 31 in 2018. Monsanto was “fiercely opposed” to this ban, which now heads to the executive committee of the Arkansas Legislative Council for final approval. Monsanto has filed a lawsuit against the plant board over the partial ban implemented this year, and submitted extensive comments against the 2018 ban. BASF’s Engenia herbicide was the only dicamba formulation approved in Arkansas in 2017 for use with the new resistant crops, and Monsanto claims that BASF told them that it sold only about enough Engenia to cover half the state’s soybean crop. This would mean that much of the dicamba sprayed in 2017 was off-label use, a claim disputed by other experts. FULL TEXT

Bradley, 2017c

Kevin Bradley, “A Final Report on Dicamba-injured Soybean Acres,” University of Missouri, Integrated Pest and Crop Management, October 30, 2017.

Final compilation of state by state dicamba damage complaints reveals:

2,708 dicamba related complaints across 25 states
Approximately 3.6 million acres of soybeans injured

See the FULL TEXT link for maps.

Lipton, 2017

Eric Lipton, “Crops in 25 States Damaged by Unintended Drift of Weed Killer,” The New York Times, November 1, 2017.

SUMMARY:

“Dicamba has damaged more than 3.6 million acres of soybean crops, or about 4 percent of all soybeans planted in the United States this year.” Reuben Baris, acting chief of the herbicide branch at the EPA, calls the damage “unacceptable” and suggests that the actual number of drift incidents could be up to 5 times greater than he over 2,700 reports due to a large number of incidents going unreported. Impacts to yields are still unknown, according to the EPA. The initial approval of dicamba for over the top use expires after only 2 years. This article states that EPA officials made it clear that re-approval is in jeopardy if the companies can’t find ways to mitigate damage. FULL TEXT

Polansek, 2017c

Tom Polansek, “Monsanto, BASF weed killers strain U.S. states with damage complaints,” Reuters, November 1, 2017.

SUMMARY:

Reports on the latest on the 2017 dicamba damage crisis. Major soybean states such as Arkansas, Missouri, and Illinois received roughly 4 years’ worth of complaints about damaged crops. A total of 2,708 damage investigations have been initiated as of October 15^th. In Illinois, where they received 421 complaints, the most since 1989, they expect investigations to continue through next year. Investigations will determine if applicators followed lengthy label instructions (up to 4,550 words). Monsanto believes this off-label application is the issue and plans to change usage instructions before the next crop season. The article points out the expense to state ag agencies to cover this surge in complaints and associated staff demands. Some states are putting off other inspections to manage dicamba complaints, and budgets are strained. The EPA has offered 35 states extra grants to help fund dicamba damage investigations, and is helping states by conducting states for low-levels of dicamba. FULL TEXT

Mills et al., 2017

Paul J. Mills, PhD, Izabela Kania-Korwel, PhD, John Fagan, PhD, Linda K.McEvoy, PhD, Gail A. Laughlin, PhD, Elizabeth Barrett-Connor, MD, “Excretion of the Herbicide Glyphosate in Older Adults Between 1993 and 2016,” October 24, 2017, Journal of the American Medical Association, 318:16, DOI:10.1001/jama.2017.11726.

ABSTRACT:

The herbicide Roundup is sprayed onto genetically modified crops and applied as a desiccant to most small non–genetically modified grains. Use of this herbicide has increased since 1994 when genetically modified crops were introduced in the United States. Glyphosate, the primary ingredient in the herbicide, is found in these crops at harvest. Environmental exposure through dietary intake of these crops has potential adverse health effects and can be assessed by measuring urinary excretion. We measured excretion levels of glyphosate and its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in participants fromthe Rancho Bernardo Study (RBS) of Healthy Aging. Mean glyphosate and AMPA levels and the proportion of samples with detectable levels increased over time. FULL TEXT

Biesecker, 2017

Michael Biesecker, “EPA, herbicide makers agree to new limits for use of dicamba,” Associated Press, October 13, 2017.

SUMMARY:

The EPA announced its deal with Monsanto, BASF and DuPont to allow dicamba use in 2018 with “tangible changes” that will be implemented in the upcoming growing season. Dicamba will be labeled “restricted use” and applicators will be required to get additional training and certifications, and new rules will be implemented related to time of day of application and no spraying when wings are over 10 mph. The EPA worked closely with the three companies and Monsanto praised the new label restrictions, saying they are “confident the required training and record keeping can address the main causes of off-target movement.” The EPA praises the “cooperative federalism” that brought about this agreement. FULL TEXT

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