Presence of glyphosate in the human body in populations of agroindustrial areas of the Province of Buenos Aires Argentina
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Abstract
Introduction: An increasing number of rural communities are raising concerns about potential health damage from agrochemicals. Understanding the presence of glyphosate in the human body makes it possible to develop, together with local stakeholders, a systemic model that reveals the socio-environmental determinants of health.
Materials and Methods: Participatory Action Research. Three-stage probabilistic sampling (city blocks, houses, family) in French (Partido de 9 de Julio; Buenos Aires Province) for measuring environmental factors and self-reporting of cancer. Analysis of glyphosate in urine by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. In-depth interviews with positive cases to determine the exposure pathway. Development of a conceptual model for analyzing systemic complexity.
Results:
Out of the total of 46 blocks in French, we included 23 blocks with systematic sampling and, at 76 houses (50%), chose one subject randomly. In 21.8% of the households, there were reports of a history of cancer. In June 2023, 13% of the population (95% CI 6.5-23) showed quantifiable glyphosate in urine. Work exposure was ruled out in all cases, the primary self-reported sources being: "the discharge of agrochemicals in the nearby shed," "the grain silo," "drift," and "the mosquito trucks that pass by the street," variables belonging to economic and cultural determinants. A network of actors emerged, awaiting the socio-political problematization of the results mediated by the Honorable Deliberative Council and NGOs, which would balance the system with forces of care.
Discussion:
Study with high external validity. There is a need to computerize community surveillance systems for both the suspicion of exposure and possible diseases related to agrochemicals, create referral circuits for samples to high-complexity laboratories, and design multiple strategies on the determinants to care for possible damages from chronic exposure.
Conclusion:
The presence of glyphosate in urine was due to environmental exposure; it expresses a passive, involuntary, and chronic absorption pathway of chemical pollutants resulting from the town's agricultural activity not counteracted by forces of care.
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