It Is A Potentially Carcinogenic Herbicide, According To The World Health Organization.
One hundred percent of the cotton and sterile gauze contains glyphosate (a potentially carcinogenic herbicide according to the World Health Organization) or its derivative AMPA , substances also found – though in lesser percentage- in swabs, wipes and pads, according to a study by the Multidisciplinary Socio-Environmental Interaction Space (EMISA) of the University of La Plata.
«85 % of the samples tested positive for Glyphosate, and 62 % for AMPA, the environment methabolite; but in the case of cotton and gauze it was 100 percent”, explained PHd Chemist Damián Marino, part of the EMISA team.
He continued, “Regarding the concentrations, what we saw is that in raw cotton AMPA predominates (39 ug/kg and 13 ug/kg of glyphosate), while in the gauzes there is no presence of AMPA, but Glyphosate´s concentration amounts to 17 ug/kg”.
The hypothesis of Marino and his team is that as the processing of products is increased, the substances originally present in cotton decrease.
The researchers, who presented the results of this research in the 3rd National Congress of Fumigated Towns held last week in Buenos Aires, detailed that «in terms of the swabs, there are brands that do not have anything, some have one of the two substances and some both. The same happens in the feminine hygiene products. »
«The result of this research is very serious. When you use cotton or gauze to heal wounds or for personal hygiene use, you do it thinking they are sterilized products, yet it turns out that they are contaminated with a carcinogenic substance,» said the paediatrician Medardo Vazquez Avila, referring to the Doctors Network of Fumigated Towns.
He continued: «Most of the cotton production in the country is transgenic and resistant to glyphosate. Glyphosate is sprayed when the bud is open, and the glyphosate is condensed and goes straight to the product.»
Avila Vazquez, president of Congress, admitted that «the study has surprised us all because in fact our goal was to demonstrate the presence of these carcinogenic substances especially in food, and research at the University of La Plata opens a new door that we will have to continue».
Meanwhile, Marino admitted that this investigation had not been an objective of the group: «We were investigating the drift of glyphosate in aerial applications, that is, how far the substance expands when fumigated and found a study, an international paper where the procedure was detailed».
He continued: «There is a basic premise in research: when one finishes making laboratories you have to contrast it with something clean, and the paper said that this element were sterile gauze, of medical use, namely the ones found in pharmacies «.
«So we went and bought gauze, open the packages, we analyzed them and there was the surprise: we found glyphosate. Our first thought was that we had done something wrong, so we throw everything and bought new gauze, we analyze them and we found glyphosate once again» , he told Marino.
In March this year, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the WHO, added a list of five pesticides as «possible» or «probable» carcinogenic, including glyphosate among them.
The researcher reported that «we seek literature and found no national or international publication that mention glyphosate and its metabolite residues in this type of product.»
«We have obtained the results the last week, we want them to be a trigger for all of us to systematize research and in this we are designing new projects working with other disciplines, because our obligation is to ensure the health of the population» he concluded.
