A cancer-causing weedkiller was discovered in more than 80% of urine samples collected from children and adults in a US health study. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a total of 2,310 samples were collected, and 1,885 of these contained measurable quantities of glyphosate. The scientists describe the findings as ‘disturbing’ and ‘concerning.’ For years, researchers have found large levels of the pesticide glyphosate in human urine samples. However, according to The Guardian, the CDC has just begun examining the level of glyphosate exposure in people in the United States, raising worries about the impact of herbicides in food and water on humans.
Researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine discovered that since Monsanto CO. developed genetically modified crops intended to be sprayed directly with Roundup in the 1990s, the amount and incidence of glyphosate have been identified and are gradually increasing in human urine. Every year, farmers in the United States use almost 200 million pounds of glyphosate. To dry out the crops before harvest, weedkiller chemicals are sprayed directly over established genetically crops and non-developed genetically crops such as maize, soyabeans, and wheat, maize. Many farmers, particularly those who grow spinach and almonds, apply it in their fields before the growing season. This is most likely the most often used herbicide.
Many common foods, including infant food, are treated with glyphosate residues. The main way children are exposed to the toxin is through their meals. However, according to Monsanto and Bayer, the company that purchased it in 2018, glyphosate and Roundup products are safe, and residues in food and human urine do not pose any health risks. They disagree with multiple scientists including the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, which has identified the substance as a possible carcinogen since 2015.
The chemical, on the other hand, has been assessed as not likely to be carcinogenic by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). However, a federal appeals court ruled against the EPA last month, invalidating the safety assessment and ordering it to investigate the evidence of the chemical’s hazards again. Cynthia Curl, associate professor of community and environmental health at Boise State University, stated that while it is ‘concerning’ that a substantial section of the population in the United States is exposed to glyphosate, it is unclear how it impacts people’s health.
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