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Tag: glyphosate

Published on Leave a comment on Enormous Amounts of One Pesticide Used In the US

People don't realize the incredibly large amounts of pesticides applied to crops and soil in the US each year. Hundreds of millions of pounds! Which is the reason pesticides are found in our air, rain, water, soil, our foods, and in our bodies.

One of the pesticides that scientists are getting increasingly concerned with is the weed-killer glyphosate. It is the most used herbicide (weed-killer) in the world! It is found in Roundup, in non-organic crops, and even in genetically modified crops that are glyphosate resistant. Especially used on corn and soybeans, but also in a variety of crops (e.g., wheat, oats, cranberries, grapes, apples, beans).

The following story lays out the great amounts used in some states, especially in the midwest and southern states. Overall, an average of almost 130 pounds of glyphosate were sprayed per square mile in US counties each year.

But some counties had incredibly high amounts, such as Nueces County, Texas which has the highest use of glyphosate: more than 1,100 pounds sprayed per square mile. Iowa and Illinois (corn and soybean crops) accounted for 15% of national usage. The least was in northeastern (e.g., Massachusetts) and southwestern states (e.g., Nevada).

Evidence for health harms are increasing each year, such as an increased risk of cancer (e.g., non-Hodgkin lymphoma), premature births, endocrine disruption, and even disruptions of the gut microbiome (it kills beneficial microbes in the gut). The percentage of people with glyphosate detected in their urine, and the amount (concentration) has been rising over time. It can now be detected in almost all of us.

By the way, the EPA has raised "allowable limits" of glyphosate in foods over the years - when the pesticide industry asked for it. The US limits are much higher than those allowed in Europe - twice the levels! (Once again, in the US the EPA favors industry, not the people it's supposed to be protecting.)

This article is from October 2022, but it highlights  the incredibly high amounts of glyphosate applied in the US (see the good interactive map). Excerpts from NBC News: A potentially cancer-causing chemical is sprayed on much of America’s farmland. Here is where it is used the most.

Every day, farms across the country use a potentially cancer-causing chemical that is in the world’s most common weedkillers. And data shows that it’s most used in the Midwest and parts of the South. ...continue reading "Enormous Amounts of One Pesticide Used In the US"

Published on Leave a comment on Commonly Used Pesticides and the Adolescent Brain

Once again a study looked at pesticide exposure in humans and found health problems. This time a study by Univ. Of California researchers looked at exposures to the commonly used pesticides 2,4-D and glyphosate, and found that they are associated with neurobehavioral effects in teenagers.

Neurobehavioral effects means there are effects on the relationship between the brain and nervous system and behavior. The study found that 2,4-D had significant effects on brain function - with lower performance on tests measuring attention and inhibition control, language, memory/learning, and visual-spatial processing, while glyphosate had effects on social perception.

Studies finding harmful health effects from both of these pesticides (e.g., cancer, neurological effects, endocrine disrupting effects) are increasing each year.

By the way, almost all of us have the herbicide glyphosate (found in Roundup) in our bodies. Most of us also have 2,4-D residues in our bodies because of its common use as a weed-killer, especially in Feed and Weed products (used on lawns) and in crops.

We get pesticides into our bodies through the foods we eat and drink, air we breathe, and skin contact. Pesticide exposure to glyphosate and 2,4-D is actually increasing due to the increased use in genetically modified (e.g., Roundup Ready) crops and "preharvest" use in conventional crops.

Bottom line: Try to lower your exposure to pesticides. Eat organic foods as much as possible. (Glyphosate and 2,4-D are not allowed in organic food production.) Avoid using pesticides on your lawn. Use least toxic Integrated Pest Management for control of pests indoors and outdoors. Leave your shoes at the door.

From Medical Xpress: Research suggests commonly-used herbicide is harmful to adolescent brain function

Herbicides are the most used class of pesticides worldwide, with uses in agriculture, homes and industry. Exposures to two of the most popular herbicides were associated with worse brain function among adolescents, according to a study led by researchers at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California San Diego. ...continue reading "Commonly Used Pesticides and the Adolescent Brain"

Published on Leave a comment on An Organic Diet Rapidly Lowers Glyphosate Levels In the Body

Most people don't realize how quickly many pesticide levels decrease in our bodies after switching to eating organic foods. Studies find significantly lower levels in a few weeks for many pesticides, but in the case of glyphosate - it's within days!

This is significant because each year more health harms are being linked with glyphosate exposure, such as cancer, shorter pregnancies, disruption of the gut microbiome, cancer, kidney toxicity, and liver inflammation.

Glyphosate (found in Roundup) is the most widely used herbicide (weed killer) in the world. Millions of pounds are used each year in the US, typically for weed control in outdoor areas, as well as on genetically modified crops (e.g., corn, soybeans, canola), and frequently right before harvest on conventional crops (e.g., wheat, oats, barley).

Food is the primary source of glyphosate exposure. Many non-organic foods (especially wheat, oats, barley, soybeans, legumes) contain glyphosate residues. Glyphosate is even found in breakfast cereals Organic food does not contain glyphosate  - it's use is not allowed in organic food production.

Researchers first tested the urine of people eating a totally non-organic diet, and then when eating an all organic diet. There was a 70% reduction in glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA within 3 days. Children had significantly higher levels of glyphosate and AMPA than adults in their urine in both the non-organic and organic phases of the study.

Bottom line: Eat as many organic foods as possible. And don't use glyphosate (Roundup) on your property.

From Environmental Health News: Organic diets quickly reduce the amount of glyphosate in people’s bodies

Eating an organic diet rapidly and significantly reduces exposure to glyphosate—the world's most widely-used weed killer, which has been linked to cancer, hormone disruption and other harmful impacts, according to a new study. ...continue reading "An Organic Diet Rapidly Lowers Glyphosate Levels In the Body"

Published on Leave a comment on A Commonly Used Pesticide, Children, and Liver Inflammation

Millions of pounds of pesticides are used each year in the US for all sorts of reasons - crops, lawns, inside homes, aerial spraying, etc. But what many people don't realize is that the pesticides get into us and they have harmful effects on us. Pesticides can be absorbed through the skin, ingested (from food and water), or inhaled.

One pesticide that we're being exposed to in increasingly larger amounts each year is glyphosate, commonly known as Roundup. Food is the main way glyphosate gets into us, and so we are exposed to it almost daily. And yes, it is in almost all of us. It's used for weed control in outdoor areas, as well as on genetically modified crops (e.g., corn, soybeans), and frequently right before harvest on conventional crops (e.g., wheat, oats, barley).

Recently researchers at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health found that glyphosate exposure in childhood is linked to liver inflammation, fatty liver disease, and metabolic syndrome in early adulthood. These conditions can lead to diabetes, heart disease, and strokes.

There is increasing evidence of harms from glyphosate (e.g., shorter pregnancies, disruption of the gut microbiome, cancer, kidney toxicity).

What to do to lower exposure to glyphosate? Eat organic foods whenever possible. Levels in the body will go down within a week. Organic farmers and food producers are not allowed to use glyphosate.

From Environmental Health News: Kids’ glyphosate exposure linked to liver disease and metabolic syndrome

Over the last decade, Dr. Charles Limbach noticed something strange in his family medicine practice in East Salinas, California.

Kids between 5 and 15 years old showed elevated levels of liver enzymes, a sign of liver inflammation. Limbach ordered a panel of medical tests on each patient and repeatedly saw the same result: fatty liver disease. ...continue reading "A Commonly Used Pesticide, Children, and Liver Inflammation"

Published on Leave a comment on Almost All Pregnant Women Have This Pesticide In Their Body

Pesticides causing health problems are appearing in study after study. A recent study found that higher glyphosate levels in pregnant women is associated with lower birthweight in the babies and higher risk of admission to neonatal intensive care units.

Studies find that almost all pregnant women have detectable levels of glyphosate in their bodies - which of course reaches the fetus. In this study by Univ. of Indiana researchers it was detected in 99% of the women during the first trimester! Higher levels resulted in reduced fetal growth. This is very concerning.

Glyphosate is found in the popular herbicide (weed-killer) Roundup. The use of glyphosate has increased substantially with genetically modified crops (e.g., Roundup resistant crops such as corn and soybeans) and with its preharvest use in conventionally raised crops (preharvest guide). It's found on many regular oats, wheat, soybeans, canola, lentils flax, etc.

This is why with each new study higher levels are found in people. It's in our food.

What else is glyphosate doing to us? It has been linked to a number of human health effects, such as cancer, endocrine (hormone) disruption, liver and kidney damage, preterm birth, and even having a negative effect on our gut microbiome - by killing off certain important species of gut microbes. There is much we still don't know about chronic exposure to low levels of the pesticide.

By the way, the United States FDA allows higher levels of glyphosate residues in food and humans than other countries, including European countries. Of course this is due to the pesticide industry lobbying the FDA real hard, political interference, and then think of all those cushy pesticide industry jobs government workers eventually get as a reward. (Yes, it's revolving door from the government to industry jobs...)

Organic farmers are not allowed to use glyphosate. So if you want to avoid the pesticide - eat as many organically grown foods as possible.

From Science Daily: High exposure to glyphosate in pregnancy could cause lower birth weights in babies

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers are learning more about the effects of herbicide exposure during pregnancy, finding glyphosate in 99 percent of the pregnant women they observed in the Midwest. In the study, published recently in Environmental Health, higher glyphosate levels were associated with lower birth weight and may also lead to higher neonatal intensive care unit admission risk. ...continue reading "Almost All Pregnant Women Have This Pesticide In Their Body"

Published on Leave a comment on CDC Finds The Pesticide Glyphosate In Most Children

We all get exposed to pesticides to varying degrees - whether from our water, foods we eat, inhaling them, or absorbing them through our skin (e.g., walking or playing on pesticide treated lawns). Unfortunately, studies show our exposure to the pesticide glyphosate (found in Roundup) is increasing each year.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) does biomonitoring of persons in the US to see what chemicals we are being exposed to by measuring levels in the blood and urine of both adults and children. They recently released the finding that about 80% of us have glyphosate residues. Even worse, about 87 percent of the 650 children they tested had detectable levels of glyphosate in their urine.

Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide (it kills vegetation) in the US and the world. Nearly 300 million pounds of the pesticide are applied each year in the United States, with greater than 88.6 pounds per square mile in the US midwest (according to the USGS). Glyphosate residues have been found in all sorts of foods, honey and grain cereals.

What is it doing to us? It has been linked to a number of human health effects, such as cancer, endocrine (hormone) disruption, liver and kidney damage, preterm birth, and even having a negative effect on our gut microbiome - by killing off certain important species of gut microbes. There is much we still don't know about chronic exposure to low levels of the pesticide.

A 2017 study following adults over the age of 50 from 1993 to 2016, residing in Southern California, found that the percentage of adults with glyphosate residues in urine went from 12% to 70% during that time. And now the CDC reports an even higher rate. Much of this increase is due to genetically modified crops (crops that are Roundup resistant) and also to the increase in "preharvest" applications on regular crops.

What can you do? Eat as much organically grown food as possible. This is because organic farmers are NOT allowed to use glyphosate. And don't use Roundup or other glyphosate products on your property.

What EWG (Environmental Working Group) has to say about glyphosate: CDC finds toxic weedkiller in 87 percent of children tested

From Medical Xpress: Weed killer glyphosate found in most Americans' urine

More than 80% of Americans have a widely used herbicide lurking in their urine, a new government study suggests. ...continue reading "CDC Finds The Pesticide Glyphosate In Most Children"

Published on Leave a comment on The Pesticide Industry’s Influence Over EPA Decisions

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has failed the people of the United States with regard to pesticides and pesticide exposures, but absolutely given in to the wishes of the pesticide industry. This has resulted in pesticides being used in the US that are banned in other countries, and in Americans being exposed to unsafe pesticide exposures.

What is going on at the EPA? Cover-ups, studies finding health problems ignored, waiving of tests/studies that should have been done, political interference, pesticide industry lobbyists having a lot of influence at the EPA, punishment of scientists who speak out or point out harms about specific pesticides, top EPA officials leaving the EPA to work at pesticide companies, and on and on.

Yes, commonly used pesticides such as chlorpyrifos, Roundup, malathion, and neonicotinoids (neonics) all have had EPA suppression of research showing serious health harms (e.g. cancer, neurological harm).

Sharon Lerner at the Intercept has written a great piece of investigative journalism about pesticides and the EPA. She writes that the EPA:

“...is often unable to stand up to the intense pressures from powerful agrochemical companies, which spend tens of millions of dollars on lobbying each year and employ many former EPA scientists once they leave the agency. The enormous corporate influence has weakened and, in some cases, shut down the meaningful regulation of pesticides in the U.S. and left the country’s residents exposed to levels of dangerous chemicals not tolerated in many other nations.”

From the Intercept: The Department of Yes - How Pesticide Companies Corrupted the EPA and Poisoned America

While it’s impossible to catalog all the ways in which the EPA has failed to protect the public from the harms of pesticides, this reporting has brought to light several instances in which the overlooking, burying, or scuttling of science has had direct consequences for human health.  ...continue reading "The Pesticide Industry’s Influence Over EPA Decisions"

Published on Leave a comment on Common Weed Killer Linked to Preterm Births

The evidence of harmful health effects from glyphosate is adding up. It's the most commonly used herbicide (weed killer) in the world, with nearly 300 million pounds of the pesticide (found in Roundup) applied each year in the United States! A recent study found that glyphosate is linked to preterm births in humans.

High levels of glyphosate and the glyphosate break-down product AMPA during late pregnancy (as measured in urine) are associated with preterm birth, according to recent research. This may be playing a role in why the United States has some of the highest rates of preterm birth rates among developed countries.

The study was conducted in Puerto Rico, where it is thought the high levels of environmental contamination (especially pesticides) plays a role in the especially high rates of preterm births (11.5%). Another study conducted in the United States (in rural Indiana with its high levels of glyphosate use on corn and soybean farms) also found shortened length of pregnancies.

Humans are exposed to glyphosate and glyphosate residues all sorts of ways, including in the foods we eat, soil, air, and water. Glyphosate is used not only as a weed-killer, but also applied to glyphosate resistant genetically engineered (GE) crops such as soy, canola, corn, and also right before harvest (preharvest) on many grain crops.

Besides preterm birth, glyphosate is linked to a number of other health problems (e.g. cancer, endocrine disruption). Studies also link glyphosate to disruptions of the human gut microbiome, with a recent study finding that glyphosate kills some key beneficial gut microbes.

Bottom line: Eat as many organic foods as possible, especially when pregnant. This is because organic farmers are not allowed to use glyphosate.

From Futurity: Team Links Popular Weed killer Chemical to Preterm Births

Exposure to a chemical found in the weed killer Roundup and other glyphosate-based herbicides is significantly associated with preterm births, according to a new study. ...continue reading "Common Weed Killer Linked to Preterm Births"

Published on Leave a comment on Glyphosate May Be Having a Harmful Effect On Our Gut Microbiome

Uh oh... Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide (plant-killer) in the world, and its pervasive use may be harming our gut microbiomes. Glyphosate (which is in Roundup) is used not only as a weed-killer, but also applied to glyphosate resistant genetically engineered (GE) crops such as soy, canola, corn, and also right before harvest (preharvest) on many grain crops. Thus we find glyphosate and glyphosate residues all around us, including in the foods we eat.

Researchers at the University of Turku  in Finland developed a bioinformatics tool to examine glyphosate effects on gut bacteria. They found that glyphosate kills many bacterial species found in the human gut, including such important keystone bacteria as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. Their words: "54% of species in the core gut microbiome are sensitive to glyphosate". (A nice way of saying it kills them.) They summarize:

"A large proportion of bacteria in the gut microbiome (Qin et al., 2010) are susceptible to glyphosate (class I); thus, the intake of glyphosate may severely affect the composition of the human gut microbiome. "

Glyphosate has already been linked to a number of health problems (e.g. cancer, endocrine disruption). The gut microbiome or microbiota is the millions of microbes living in our intestines, and they are very important to our health. Imbalance or disruptions to our gut microbiome result in inflammation, chronic conditions, and diseases.

What to do? Try to eat as many organic foods, especially grains, soy, and corn, as possible. Organic farmers are not allowed to use glyphosate. Try to avoid using glyphosate-based herbicides on your property.  Unfortunately, our government agencies are not protecting us with regards to glyphosate, and the US allows higher glyphosate residues in food than in the European Union.

From Science Daily: Glyphosate may affect human gut microbiota

Glyphosate is the most commonly used broad-spectrum herbicide. Researchers from the University of Turku in Finland have developed a new bioinformatics tool to predict if a microbe, e.g. a human gut bacterium, is sensitive to glyphosate.  ...continue reading "Glyphosate May Be Having a Harmful Effect On Our Gut Microbiome"

Published on Leave a comment on Some Common Chemicals Alter the Gut Microbiome

This is rarely mentioned, but there is research showing that commonly used chemicals that we are exposed to, such as bisphenols (BPA, BPS), phthalates, persistent organic pollutants (e.g.flame retardants, nonstick cookware), heavy metals (e.g. lead), and some pesticides (e.g.chlorpyrifos, glyphosate), all have an impact on the gut microbiome in animals and humans.

For example, these chemicals may alter levels of certain microbial species, or alter the variety (diversity) and type of species in the gut, or increase intestinal inflammation. These alterations are associated with health effects, and the effects may be different depending on the stage of life. Yikes!

The human gut microbiome is the huge and complex community of microbes (fungi, bacteria, viruses) that live in our intestines and play important roles in our health. Trillions of microbes, hundreds of species. The presence of certain microbial species in the gut are associated with health, and the presence of certain other species are associated with disease. We know that what we eat and drink, whether we exercise, and other lifestyle factors can influence the gut microbes, but it appears we also need consider exposure to chemicals in the environment around us.

A recent study by University of Illinois researchers reviewed the environmental chemical and microbiome research, and found that many chemicals have an effect on the gut microbiome. They point out that humans are constantly exposed to hundreds of chemicals in the environment, and many get into humans (through inhalation, ingestion, absorption through the skin). Currently more than 300 environmental chemicals and their metabolites have been measured in humans (e.g. in blood and urine).

Many of these chemicals are endocrine disruptors, and many are associated with adverse health effects, including male and female reproductive and developmental defects, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular effects, liver disease, obesity, thyroid disorders, and immune effects.

By the way, gut microbiome effects are currently not considered by the EPA when regulating chemicals.

From Science Daily: Environmental contaminants alter gut microbiome, health

The microbes that inhabit our bodies are influenced by what we eat, drink, breathe and absorb through our skin, and most of us are chronically exposed to natural and human-made environmental contaminants. In a new paper, scientists from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign review the research linking dozens of environmental chemicals to changes in the gut microbiome and associated health challenges.  ...continue reading "Some Common Chemicals Alter the Gut Microbiome"