What is glyphosate, the target of MPT action in court; understand

The MPT (Public Ministry of Labor) asked Anvisa and the federal government to prohibit the use of glyphosate, the most widely used pesticide in Brazil. But what is glyphosate and why does it generate so much controversy?

Glyphosate is a herbicide used to control weeds in agricultural, urban and forest management areas, blocking an enzyme essential to the growth of invasive plants.

Developed in the 1970s and initially marketed by the company Monsanto, the product has become one of the most used pesticides in the world, especially in crops such as soybeans, corn, cotton and sugar cane.

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But glyphosate has been the subject of scientific and regulatory debate for years. In 2015, the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer), a body linked to the WHO (World Health Organization), classified the substance as "probably carcinogenic to humans". The classification led several countries to review usage rules and stimulated legal disputes and public debates about health safety and environmental impacts.

At the same time, other international regulatory agencies, such as the European Food Safety Authority and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, concluded that there was insufficient evidence to classify glyphosate as carcinogenic under authorized conditions of use.

In Brazil, Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) carried out a toxicological reevaluation and stated, in an opinion published in 2019, that it found no conclusive evidence of carcinogenicity, mutagenicity or hormonal dysregulation related to the product under the conditions evaluated.

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"Assessments conducted in different countries or by international organizations may adopt different methodologies, parameters and objectives, considering characteristics specific to each regulatory system. For this reason, direct comparisons or isolated interpretations of studies and classifications may not fully reflect the conditions of use, exposure and references adopted in each jurisdiction", said Sindiveg (National Union of the Plant Defense Products Industry), in a note.

Controversies also reached the courts. In the United States, thousands of lawsuits were filed against Bayer, which acquired Monsanto, accusing the company of not adequately warning consumers and rural workers about possible risks associated with the herbicide.

Some lawsuits resulted in million-dollar compensation for farmers diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The company claims that the product is safe when used according to regulatory guidelines and disputes the causal relationship between glyphosate and cancer.

In addition to discussions about human health, studies and social movements raise concerns related to environmental contamination, impacts on biodiversity, weed resistance and the presence of residues in water and food. In some countries and regions, partial restrictions or plans to reduce substance use have been adopted.

In Brazil, the use of glyphosate is regulated by federal bodies such as Anvisa, the Ministry of Agriculture and Ibama. The legislation provides safety rules for storage, preparation and application of the product. Requirements include the use of personal protective equipment, applicator training, respect for minimum distances from homes and water sources, in addition to compliance with the instructions contained in leaflets and agronomic prescriptions.

The standards also establish precautions to avoid spray drift, inadequate disposal of packaging and environmental contamination. According to Sindiveg, safety in operations with agricultural pesticides depends on the adoption of application protocols, planning of activities and compliance with specific technical parameters for each type of use.

Source: CNN