Background Information
I have been working on my research paper. After talking with mentors, I found out that some parts of my paper need to change. With their guidance, I think I am going in the right direction and the paper is becoming more clear. From this point, I will work on adding more sources in my research paper. This is background information that I have researched so far. I need to change this a little bit more, this is my current progress.
Glyphosate-based
herbicides, shortly called GBH, have been widely used all over the world since
the exclusive rights of usage of the herbicides was terminated in 2000
(Helander et al., 2019). In the last 10 years, GBH has contributed to the
growth in the farming industry since it is cost-effective and a powerful weed
killer (Helander et al., 2019). In 1974, glyphosate was listed in the United
States and in 1987, the amount of glyphosate usage was between 6,000,000 to
8,000,000 lbs in farms and ranches (Myers et al., 2016). Since then, the usage
of GBH has surged roughly a hundred times more (Myers et al., 2016). To sum up,
consumed amounts of GBH have increased greatly up to this time in the United
States (Myers et al., 2016). “GBHs were developed to replace or reduce reliance
on herbicides causing well-documented problems associated with drift and crop
damage, slipping efficacy, and human health risks” (Myers et al., 2016). GBH
has been applied in various places such as lakes and mountains (Myers et al., 2016).
“Initial risk assessments of glyphosate assumed a limited hazard to vertebrates
because its stated herbicidal mechanism of action targeted a plant enzyme not
present in vertebrates” (Myers et al., 2016). GBH was applied in initial steps
of farming, avoiding the periods between the beginning of crops development and
the reaping of crops due to the strong efficacy (Myers et al., 2016). This
seems to have low impacts on other species (Myers et al., 2016). However,
residues of GBH are found in crops, food, and water as GBH consumption
increases (Cuhra et al., 2016). “Their persistence in soils and effects on
non-target organisms (has) become a concern in agricultural and natural
ecosystem(s)” (Helander et al., 2019). As GBH exposure to humans has increased,
“furthermore, the World Health Organization’s International Agency
for Research on Cancer recently concluded that glyphosate is ‘probably
carninogenic to humans’” (Myers et al., 2016). Glyphosate consists of various
components (Cuhra et al., 2016). “Glyphosate is assumed to degrade rapidly in
the soil through microbial transformation to aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA)
or sacrosine” (Helander et al., 2019). AMPA has been found that it reduces
photosynthesis and raises collected amounts of peroxide in plants since it
restricts antioxidant enzyme activities in plants (Helander et al., 2019).
Using GBH on crops leaves residues of glyphosate and its product AMPA in crops
and foods (Myers et al., 2016).
Helander,
M., Pauna, A., Saikkonen, K. et al. Glyphosate residues in soil affect crop
plant
germination
and growth. Sci Rep 9, 19653 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-56195-3
Myers, J.P., Antoniou, M.N., Blumberg, B. et al. Concerns over use of glyphosate-based
herbicides
and risks associated with exposures: a consensus statement. Environ Health 15,
19 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-016-0117-0
Cuhra, M., Bohn, T., & Cuhra, P. (2016). Glyphosate: Too Much of a Good Thing? Frontiers
in
Environmental Science. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A457242552/AONE?u=mcc_main&sid=AONE&xid=1a1b2c80
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