THE ORAL AND INTRATRACHEAL TOXICITIES OF ROUNDUP AND ITS COMPONENTS TO RATS

The toxicities of ROUNDUP and its component chemicals, glyphosate (N-p hosphonomethylglycine) and polyoxyethyleneamine (POEA), were determine d at 0, 1, 3, 6 and 24 h following administration to rats. The intratr acheal administration of glyphosate (0.2 g/kg), POEA (0.1 g/kg), a mix ture of glyphosate (0.2 g/kg) + POEA (0.1 g/kg), or ROUNDUP (containin g 0.2 g/kg glyphosate and 0.7 g/kg POEA) elicited immediate respirator y effects which were more severe and which lasted longer in the groups receiving the POEA-containing preparations than in the glyphosate alo ne group. By 1 h, all test preparations had caused deaths, but more oc curred from the POEA-containing preparations than from glyphosate. The po administration of POEA (1 g/kg), the mixture of glyphosate (2 g/kg ) + POEA (1 g/kg), or ROUNDUP (containing 2 g/kg glyphosate and 1 g/kg POEA) produced diarrhea and blood-stained weeping from noses. Death w as only seen from POEA at 24 h. Glyphosate (2 g/kg po) produced transi ent diarrhea without nose breeds; POEA caused diarrhea at 1 h; and the mixture of POEA + glyphosate produced diarrhea later that increased i n severity with time. Bloody nose secretions were seen only with the p reparations that contained POEA. No deaths, respiratory effects or blo ody nose secretions occurred in controls given saline. Both POEA and g lyphosate caused lung hemorrhages and lung epithelial cell damage with po or intratracheal exposures. These results indicate POEA and prepar ations that contained POEA were more toxic than glyphosate.