Spain's surface waters contain traces of glyphosate, a dangerous herbicide

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In December last year, the European Commission (EC) had to make a decision: to ban glyphosate , a herbicide used in crop fields , or not to do so. The agency then decided to extend the permit for its use for another year, until December 2023. This same decision also occurred in 2017 . Then the lack of consensus delayed the ban until 2022. Luxembourg, Malta and Croatia were the only countries that voted against. Germany, France and Slovenia, on the other hand, abstained. Spain was among the countries that voted in favor of continuing to use the herbicide . The three major abstentions, as well as the votes against, made it possible to block the vote in favor of a longer permit. The result of this last vote was justified by the fact that the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) and the European Chemical Substances and Mixtures Agency (ECHA) did not have ready the report that supported or did not support said extension .

They reported that it would not be ready before July of this year. On the 6th of that month, EFSA published the results : "the assessment of the impact of glyphosate on the health of people, animals and the environment has not identified critical areas of concern." However, " some data gaps  were identified for the European Special Data Commission and Member States to take into account in the next phase of the approval renewal process." Scientific evidence against glyphosate There are numerous studies that warn of the negative effects of glyphosate on public health and biodiversity . In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) already classified this herbicide as “probably carcinogenic to humans”, based on strong evidence in animals.



Recently, Ecologistas en Acción has reopened the debate in the hope that Spain will vote against it this time. The environmental group has analyzed the levels of glyphosate in the surface waters of 12 countries in the European Union , including Spain. The samples (23 from river or stream and five from lake water) were taken at the end of October, after the agricultural season. The study concludes that 74% of the waters of 11 of the countries contained glyphosate and its degradation product, AMPA. Almost 22% of the samples collected, including those from Spain (obtained in Les Garrigues, San Pedro del Pinalta and Rambla del Albujón), contain levels of glyphosate that make them unsuitable for human consumption . AMPA and glyphosate concentration Concentration of AMPA and glyphosate in micrograms/liter in Europe, 2022. Credit: Ecologistas en Acción «This pollution represents, first of all, a significant threat to aquatic ecosystems.