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A new University of Florida study sheds light on how the world’s most commonly used herbicide may threaten the health of manatees.
Researchers took blood samples from wild manatees.
They added a chemical called glyphosate, which is commonly found in weed killers. Glyphosate is widely used in agriculture, urban maintenance, and to control aquatic weeds.
UF researchers found that glyphosate reduces immune cell activity in manatees by more than 27% – potentially compromising the threatened species’ ability to fend off disease.
Nancy Denslow is a professor of environmental toxicology at UF and co-author of the study.
“What we need to do is we need to understand what the effects are and try to minimize the use of these chemicals in those sensitive areas,” Denslow told WMNF, “Sometimes people in their backyards might want to spray weeds. Watch out to make sure that that doesn’t run off into the water, and that we are just respectful of them.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is wrapping up an investigation into a petition filed by several environmental groups to upgrade the manatee’s status from threatened to endangered.
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