scholarly journals Critical Review of the Effects of Glyphosate Exposure to the Environment and Humans through the Food Supply Chain

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 950 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Torretta ◽  
Ioannis Katsoyiannis ◽  
Paolo Viotti ◽  
Elena Rada
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organization ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Global Market ◽  
World Health ◽  
International Agency ◽  
Synthesis Product ◽  
Great Success ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

Glyphosate is a synthesis product and chemical substance that entered in the global market during the 70s. In the beginning, the molecule was used as an active principle in a wide range of herbicides, with great success. This was mainly due to its systemic and non-selective action against vegetable organisms and also to the spread of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) crops, which over the years were specifically created with a resistance to glyphosate. To date, the product is, for these reasons, the most sprayed and most used herbicide in the world. Because of its widespread diffusion into the environment, it was not long before glyphosate found itself at the center of an important scientific debate about its adverse effects on health and environment. In fact, in 2015 the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France), an organization referred to as the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization (WHO, Geneva, Switzerland), classified the substance as “likely carcinogenic” to humans. This triggered an immediate and negative reaction from the producer, who accused the Agency and claimed that they had failed to carry out their studies properly and that these conclusions were largely contradictory to published research. Additionally, in 2015, just a few months after the IARC monography published on glyphosate, the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority, Parma, Italy), another WHO related organization, declared that it was “unlikely” that the molecule could be carcinogenic to humans or that it could cause any type of risk to human health. The conflict between the two organizations of the World Health Organization triggered many doubts, and for this reason, a series of independent studies were launched to better understand what glyphosate’s danger to humans and the environment really was. The results have brought to light how massive use of the herbicide has created over time a real global contamination that has not only affected the soil, surface and groundwater as well as the atmosphere, but even food and commonly used objects, such as diapers, medical gauze, and absorbent for female intimate hygiene. How human health is compromised as a result of glyphosate exposure is a topic that is still very debatable and still unclear and unambiguous. This paper is a review of the results of the main independent recent scientific studies.

California's Glyphosate Judgement – Emotion, Bad Science and Greed Win the Day

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 204-205
Author(s):  
Alex Berezow
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organization ◽  
Hodgkin’S Lymphoma ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Hodgkin's Lymphoma ◽  
World Health ◽  
International Agency ◽  
Non Hodgkin’S Lymphoma ◽  
Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

Jurors in California have awarded $289 million to a man who claimed that his cancer was due to Monsanto's herbicide glyphosate, even though that is biologically impossible. Even the judge acknowledged that there was no evidence of harm. Yet, trial lawyers manipulated a jury's emotions and the public's misunderstanding of science to score another jackpot verdict. The plaintiff, Dewayne Johnson, claims that glyphosate gave him non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer that occurs when the immune system goes awry. There are three major problems with this claim. First, as stated above, glyphosate does not cause cancer because it does not harm humans. It is an herbicide, so it is only toxic to plants. There is no known biological mechanism by which glyphosate could cause cancer, therefore its carcinogenicity is not even theoretically possible. That is why there is not a single reputable public health agency that believes glyphosate causes cancer. The US Environmental Protection Agency, the World Health Organization, and the European Food Safety Authority all reject claims of any link. The only organization of note that rejects this scientific consensus is a group within the World Health Organization called the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Contrary to all evidence, the group insists that glyphosate causes cancer – along with bacon and hot water. The truth is that IARC is a fringe outlier, staunchly ideological rather than scientific, and rife with financial conflicts of interest. Christopher Portier, a special adviser to the IARC working group that examined glyphosate, was also working for the activist organization the Environmental Defense Fund and received $160,000 from trial lawyers who stood to profit handsomely if IARC declared glyphosate a carcinogen because they could file suits in lawsuit-happy California. IARC's credibility has been so thoroughly shattered that Congress recently pulled its funding. Secondly, although the root cause of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is unknown, that does not mean its etiology is completely open to speculation. Lymphomas originate from white blood cells, so scientists believe that autoimmune disease or chronic infections play a role. Just because the plaintiff's attorneys can fool a jury into believing that glyphosate causes non-Hodgkin's lymphoma does not mean there is any scientific evidence – and there is not. Thirdly, glyphosate has been off-patent for 18 years, and about 40% of the world's glyphosate is made in China. So, why pick on Monsanto when several different companies could have supplied the glyphosate the plaintiff used?

Two Hundred Three Cases of Equine Lymphoma Classified According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification Criteria

2012 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. C. Durham ◽  
C. A. Pillitteri ◽  
M. San Myint ◽  
V. E. Valli
Keyword(s):  
T Cell ◽  
B Cell ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
Malignant Neoplasm ◽  
World Health ◽  
B Cell Lymphomas ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Large B Cell

Lymphoma is the most common malignant neoplasm in the horse. Single case reports and small retrospective studies of equine lymphomas are reported infrequently in the literature. A wide range of clinical presentations, tumor subtypes, and outcomes have been described, and the diversity of the results demonstrates the need to better define lymphomas in horses. As part of an initiative of the Veterinary Cooperative Oncology Group, 203 cases of equine lymphoma have been gathered from 8 institutions. Hematoxylin and eosin slides from each case were reviewed and 187 cases were immunophenotyped and categorized according to the World Health Organization classification system. Data regarding signalment, clinical presentation, and tumor topography were also examined. Ages ranged from 2 months to 31 years (mean, 10.7 years). Twenty-four breeds were represented; Quarterhorses were the most common breed ( n = 55), followed by Thoroughbreds ( n = 33) and Standardbreds ( n = 30). Lymphomas were categorized into 13 anatomic sites. Multicentric lymphomas were common ( n = 83), as were skin ( n = 38) and gastrointestinal tract ( n = 24). A total of 14 lymphoma subtypes were identified. T-cell–rich large B-cell lymphomas were the most common subtype, diagnosed in 87 horses. Peripheral T-cell lymphomas ( n = 45) and diffuse large B-cell lymphomas ( n = 26) were also frequently diagnosed.

Part III Human Health and Human Rights, 13 Healthy Oceans for Healthy Lives: The Contribution of the World Health Organization to Global Ocean Governance

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Negri Stefania
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organization ◽  
Human Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Health And Human Rights ◽  
Ocean Governance ◽  
The World ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
United Nations System ◽  
Health Organization

This chapter focuses on the contribution of the World Health Organization (WHO) to global ocean governance. It first provides an overview of ‘oceans and human health’ as a new interdisciplinary area of research before discussing the range of benefits to human health provided by the oceans as well as the public health risks associated with the degradation of coastal and ocean water quality due to anthropogenic and natural hazards. It then examines the WHO’s institutional profile and position in the United Nations system, its governing texts and governing bodies, and competence and activity in the field of environmental health. It also considers the important role played by the WHO in global ocean governance, highlighting specific areas of intervention, and its commitment to ocean-related Sustainable Development Goals. Finally, it analyses the potential for a strengthened and more visible role of the WHO in ocean governance.

scholarly journals Medical and Dietary Uses of N-Acetylcysteine

Antioxidants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Špela Šalamon ◽  
Barbara Kramar ◽  
Tinkara Pirc Marolt ◽  
Borut Poljšak ◽  
Irina Milisav
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
Dietary Supplement ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Essential Medicines ◽  
World Health ◽  
Clinical Investigations ◽  
The World ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Health Organization

N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a plant antioxidant naturally found in onion, is a precursor to glutathione. It has been used as a drug since the 1960s and is listed on the World Health Organization (WHO) Model List of Essential Medicines as an antidote in poisonings. There are numerous other uses or proposed uses in medicine that are still in preclinical and clinical investigations. NAC is also used in food supplements and cosmetics. Despite its abundant use, there are projections that the NAC global market will grow in the next five years; therefore, the purpose of this work is to provide a balanced view of further uses of NAC as a dietary supplement. Although NAC is considered a safe substance, the results among clinical trials are sometimes controversial or incomplete, like for many other antioxidants. More clinical trials are underway that will improve our understanding of NAC applicability.

Iodine determination in table salts by digital images analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (36) ◽  
pp. 4463-4470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geovanna de O. Costa ◽  
Fernanda N. Feiteira ◽  
Hanna de M. Schuenck ◽  
Wagner F. Pacheco
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organization ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Salt Intake ◽  
Digital Images ◽  
World Health ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Iodine Determination

For human health reasons the World Health Organization (WHO) stated in 2014 that the amount of iodine present on table salts should lie within the range of 15 to 65 mg per kilogram of salt, depending on the salt intake levels presented in each population.

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