Glyphosate: Should Hounslow Highways be using it on the streets of Chiswick?

Residents to weigh up weed control methods as Hounslow considers reintroducing controversial herbicide

Guest blog by Karen Liebreich

Five years ago the London Borough of Hounslow made the brave decision to ban glyphosate, as part of its Climate Emergency commitment. Glyphosate is a herbicide, defined as ‘a substance toxic to plants’ and is more familiar to amateur gardeners by its trade name of Round Up.

Weeding in the highways of Chiswick was to be done by workers with hoes. (Invasive weeds such as Japanese knotweed would still be sprayed.)

Hounslow Highways were initially happy with their decision. They were concerned that glyphosate’s use might soon be forbidden, as there were increasing worries about its effect on health, both human and wildlife, and the regulatory permission was due to expire in 2025.

However, recently Hounslow’s pavements have become increasingly overgrown, with some residents describing them as a jungle. Hounslow Highways has therefore been exploring other options, and is also unhappy at the amount of time needed for manual weed removal.

Various trials of other methodologies are being considered. It is not a simple issue and they are taking it seriously, and devoting considerable resources to it.

The Chiswick Area Forum on 4th July explored the issue in depth. Residents were unhappy at the possibility of a return to spraying, both in terms of the effect on nature and human health, but also about the mess, trip hazards and damage to the pavement of the rampant weed growth. Councillors also asked questions.

READ ALSO: Residents divided over Hounslow Council’s decision to bring back chemical weedkiller

Cllr McGregor suggested that Chiswick was again being picked on since the Council had said it would be sprayed last (20th August starting with Gunnersbury ward), despite Chiswick residents paying more Council Tax than other residents in Hounslow, which he felt should entitle it to a swifter service.

What are the facts about glyphosate?

Approval of pesticide usage in the UK is regulated by the Health & Safety Executive. The Glyphosate Renewal Group, a group made up of companies involved in the production and distribution of glyphosate-based products lobbied the HSE and permission for use was extended by a year until at least 15 December 2026.

The EU also extended permission for use of glyphosate by ten years.

In the United States a series of expensive lawsuits have been launched against the main manufacturers of glyphosate, Monsanto (later bought by Bayer), claiming that there were potential health risks and that the company had failed to warn users about them. Bayer has set aside $11billion to settle these claims.

READ ALSO: Should Glyphosate be used for weeding in LB Hounslow?

READ ALSO: If the Council won’t weed our streets, we will

In 2015 the World Health Organisation published a list of possible carcinogens, and included glyphosate as a probable carcinogen.

Earlier this month a new global study led by the Ramazzini Institute into the potential effect of glyphosate on human health was published and last week the lead member for the UK, Professor Michael Antoniou, Professor of Molecular Genetics and Toxicology at Kings College London gave a presentation on its findings.

You can watch the full webinar here and read the whole report here and make up your own mind.

Woman spraying in protective clothing

If you can’t face that, here’s a brief summary.

This was a serious long-term animal-based study to investigate the carcinogenic effects of glyphosate by exposing rats to varying doses from before birth up to two years of age. The current acceptable daily intakes of glyphosate set for humans were used proportionately on the rats, as well as higher levels.

Tumours developed in the animals at all dosage levels, including the lowest, with none in the control group. The rats developed skin tumours, liver, thyroid, ovary and many other kinds of cancers, many of which are considered rare in rats. Increased early deaths were recorded.

Antoniou extrapolated from this data to suggest a serious risk to human health, given that even the lowest dosed rats – who were given an equivalent dose to the recommended human “safe” dose – also developed cancers.

The results of this study, he felt, suggest the current recommended safe level is far too high, maybe 100-fold too high. Adding in the surfactants which help the glyphosate stick to the leaves made the adverse health effects even worse.

Amongst workers in professional groups, ie those spraying the herbicide, who will generally  have received training and wear appropriate protective gear, he suggested a 41% increased risk of developing one specific cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The effects of glyphosate were ‘deceptively toxic’. It seems safe because short-term there appears to be little effect. But long-term there are really serious health issues and he felt the acceptable dosage should at the very least be immediately reviewed. As a cancer hazard based pesticide he recommended it be banned.

‘Glyphosate and its commercial variants are carcinogenic, it’s as simple as that,’ is his concluding statement.

Cllr Thompson closed the discussion at the Chiswick Area Forum by asking that we stop using words like “toxic” or “poison” because they might create unnecessary fears and concerns but asked whether Hounslow could do spot spraying.

Hounslow Highways responded that they would be spraying every road, but emphasised that they were very aware of their responsibilities to residents and to their own staff.

After the meeting, concerned residents received information from Sabeel Khan, Assistant Director of Transport and Parking & Environmental Services, that if they wanted to opt out and weed their own road manually, they could contact his department and add their address to the list of spray-free zones.

The more residents who do this, the less glyphosate will be deployed.

Personally, I went out and cleared my bit of pavement of weeds and my immediate neighbours have agreed to do the same.

Make your own decision, but base it on high quality information.

If your street wishes to be spray-free and you are willing to clear your street weeds manually, please contact: BusinessManagement@hounslowhighways.org

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