What You Need to Know About Toxic Weed Killer Glyphosate

With over 1 billion pounds sprayed on farms and crops annually, the highly toxic weed killer, glyphosate, is the most prevalent pesticide in the US, and throughout much of the world. It’s used to deter weeds both in commercial farming and in home gardens. It’s also sprayed on many crops like wheat to dry them out before harvest, which makes the harvesting and processing easier.  

Industry scientists claim that glyphosate is non-toxic to humans. However, emerging scientific research shows just how damaging this pesticide can be to human health, and the environment. Here’s what you need to know about dangerous pesticides like glyphosate. 

At least 20 countries have banned the sale and use of glyphosate in agricultural operations and home use. Still, dozens of countries – with U.S. being the leader – continue to spray this poisonous pesticide on everything from spinach to soybeans. Unfortunately, glyphosate use has been increasing every year, despite serious health concerns.  

Glyphosate accumulates in the environment, and leaves devastating impacts. A staggering 9.4 million tons of glyphosate have been used worldwide between 1994-2014 alone, creating serious public and environmental health problems.

Glyphosate was previously thought to biodegrade easily in the soil and environment, but research suggests this isn’t always the case—meaning the toxin can build up over time depending on certain soil conditions.¹

In addition to building up in the environment, glyphosate can also build up and bioaccumulate in the human body—with serious potential health effects. Human studies show glyphosate presence in different lab samples, with higher levels correlating to various conditions including kidney injury.^2,3  

70% of non-organic produce contains pesticide residue, even after washing. Unfortunately, organically grown produce isn’t 100% safe from glyphosate or pesticides either. While these items won’t be contaminated with intentional pesticides, their soil and groundwater hold pesticide runoff from other farms. Sprayed pesticides get caught in the breeze and drift into organic gardens.  

Pesticides like glyphosate are everywhere, and it’s virtually impossible to avoid them completely. And that lifetime of low-level exposure means that you are being poisoned every day.

Virtually every food crop grown in the U.S. gets doused with glyphosate and other pesticides. It’s not just GMO crops, either, but practically every plant you can think of. According to the EPA, foods sprayed with glyphosate include: 

• Sugar beets 
• Berries 
• Broccoli 
• Onions 
• Lettuce 
• Peas 
• Peanuts 
• Grapes 
• Tomatoes  
• Potatoes  
• Apples  

That means every salad you make… every ketchup-covered French fry you eat… every apple you snack on could contain glyphosate and the other pesticides it’s been mixed with.  

With all of that pesticide exposure, it’s no wonder that 93% of us have detectable levels of glyphosate in our urine. If it’s there, that means it’s been through your whole system. And it can do harm just about anywhere in your body. 

Unfortunately, there’s limited science on the long-term health effects of constant low-level exposure to pesticides through diet. After all, no respectable researcher would intentionally feed people pesticides just to see their effects. And when they do run safety tests, industry scientists focus on one active ingredient at a time, rather than the whole soup you’re exposed to every day. But concerned scientists believe that even extremely low levels of pesticides – especially in combination – are toxic.  

Here are five alarming health issues we know that glyphosate and other pesticides can cause: 

Obesity: Pesticides like glyphosate mess with the way your hormones work. They tell your body to store fat and hold on to it at all costs. That’s why scientists have started calling these chemicals “obesogens.” Pesticides can make it hard to not gain weight and much more difficult to lose weight. And that has led to a huge spike in people struggling with weight issues.^4,5 

Chronic Gut Issues: Most people don’t know that glyphosate is a patented antibiotic. So along with killing weeds, it also kills bacteria. But there’s a glitch. Glyphosate destroys beneficial probiotic bacteria in your gut, and that can cause severe intestinal distress. Pesticides like glyphosate can cause uncomfortable issues like chronic diarrhea, gas and bloating, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and other gut-related problems that interfere with your life.  

Fertility Problems: Glyphosate and other pesticides that disrupt hormones can cause infertility in women and men. They’ve also been linked with a higher risk of miscarriage and premature birth. Now researchers discovered that pesticides may cause “generational toxicology.” That means your pesticide exposure could put your future children and grandchildren at higher risk for a long list of diseases.^6,7 

ADHD: Having trouble concentrating, remembering things, or making decisions? Glyphosate and other pesticides affect brain function by increasing levels of certain brain chemicals like glutamate. They overexcite your brain cells, which makes it harder for them to communicate and function properly. That’s why more people are being diagnosed with ADHD and similar disorders – especially people who eat more conventionally (rather than organically) grown foods.^8-10 

Cancer: Pesticides interfere with many biochemical processes, especially EDCs. They also increase the free radicals that cause oxidative stress. Both of those problems can cause cancer or speed up its progression. Pesticides have been linked with several kinds of cancer including non-Hodgkins lymphoma, leukemia, and kidney cancer. In fact, in 2015 the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) labeled glyphosate as a probable carcinogen, despite overwhelming pushback from the pesticide industry.^11,12 

Now, we may not be able to avoid glyphosate and other pesticides, but we can protect ourselves and our family’s health. You can proactively safeguard your health and rid your body of these poisons, and greatly reduce your risk of the harm they can cause.  

  Sources:  

1. HelanderM, Saloniemi I, Saikkonen K. Glyphosate in northern ecosystems. Trends Plant Sci. 2012 Oct;17(10):569-74. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2012.05.008. Epub 2012 Jun 6. PMID: 22677798.
2. 2.GillezeauC, van Gerwen M, Shaffer RM, et al. The evidence of human exposure to glyphosate: a review. Environ Health. 2019;18(1):2. Published 2019 Jan 7. doi:10.1186/s12940-018-0435-5
3. 3.Krueger, Monika &Schledorn, Philipp & Schrödl, Wieland & Hoppe, Hans-Wolfgang & Lutz, Walburga & Shehata, Awad. (2014). Detection of glyphosate residues in animals and humans. Environmental & analytical toxicology. 4. 10.4172/2161-0525.1000210.
4. 4. EgusquizaRJ, Blumberg B. Environmental Obesogens and Their Impact on Susceptibility to Obesity: New Mechanisms and Chemicals. Endocrinology. 2020;161(3):bqaa
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8. CattaniD, de Liz Oliveira Cavalli VL, Heinz Rieg CE, Domingues JT, Dal-Cim T, Tasca CI, Mena Barreto Silva FR, Zamoner A. Mechanisms underlying the neurotoxicity induced by glyphosate-based herbicide in immature rat hippocampus: involvement of glutamate excitotoxicity. Toxicology. 2014 Jun 5;320:34-45.  
9. 9. BouchardMF, Bellinger DC, Wright RO, Weisskopf MG. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and urinary metabolites of organophosphate pesticides. Pediatrics. 2010 Jun;125(6):e1270-7.  
10.  Lu C,Toepel K, Irish R, Fenske RA, Barr DB, Bravo R. Organic diets significantly lower children's dietary exposure to organophosphorus pesticides. Environ Health Perspect. 2006;114(2):260-263. doi:10.1289/ehp.8418
11. 11. CaiatiC, Pollice P, Favale S, Lepera The Herbicide Glyphosate and Its Apparently Controversial Effect on Human Health: An Updated Clinical Perspective. Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets. 2020;20(4):489-505.
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