title: Comparative toxicity of two glyphosate-based formulations to Eisenia andrei under laboratory conditions.
abstract: Glyphosate-based products are the leading post-emergent agricultural herbicides in the world, particularly in association with glyphosate tolerant crops. However, studies on the effects of glyphosate-based formulations on terrestrial receptors are scarce. This study was conducted to evaluate the comparative toxicity of two glyphosate-based products: Roundup FG (monoammonium salt, 72% acid equivalent, glyphosate-A) and Mon 8750 (monoammonium salt, 85.4% acid equivalent, glyphosate-B), towards the earthworm Eisenia andrei. Median lethal concentration (LC50) showed that glyphosate-A was 4.5-fold more toxic than glyphosate-B. Sublethal concentrations caused a concentration-dependent weight loss, consistent with the reported effect of glyphosate as uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation. Glyphosate-A showed deleterious effects on DNA and lysosomal damage at concentrations close to the applied environmental concentrations (14.4 μg ae cm(-2)). With glyphosate-B toxic effects were observed at higher doses, close to its LC50, suggesting that the higher toxicity of formulate A could be attributed to the effects of some of the so-called "inert ingredients", either due to a direct intrinsic toxicity, or to an enhancement in the bioavailability and/or bioaccumulation of the active ingredient. Our results highlight the importance of ecotoxicological assessment not only of the active ingredients, but also of the different formulations usually employed in agricultural practices.
authors: Toxicology and Legal Chemistry, Department of Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, University of Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, 4° piso, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors: Lucas
authors: L
authors: Piola
authors: Julio
authors: J
authors: Fuchs
authors: María Luisa
authors: ML
authors: Oneto
authors: Silvana
authors: S
authors: Basack
authors: Eva
authors: E
authors: Kesten
authors: Norma
authors: N
authors: Casabé
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005998:Glycine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000633:toxicity; D006540:Herbicides / Q000633:toxicity*; D007753:Laboratories; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D009835:Oligochaeta; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D000097797:Glyphosate
chemical_list: D005998:Glycine; D006540:Herbicides; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D000097797:Glyphosate