Human Exposure to Glyphosate Increases 500 Percent, Study Finds

A new study at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that humans’ exposure to glyphosate has increased by a whopping 500 percent since the introduction of genetically-modified crops. The study compared humans’ excretion rates of glyphosate and one of its metabolites from the subjects’ bodies over a 23-year time span, beginning in 1993.

Said professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at UC San Diego and lead author of the study, “What we saw was that prior to the introduction of genetically modified foods, very few people had detectable levels of glyphosate. As of 2016, 70 percent of the study cohort had detectable levels.” Professor Mills added: “Our exposure to these chemicals has increased significantly over the years but most people are unaware that they are consuming them through their diet.” A growing number of commonly-eaten foods have been found to contain the pesticide. 

Glyphosate is a key ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide product Roundup as well as other pesticides like Rodeo and Pondmaster. Numerous studies link glyphosate to cancer and genetic damage.  Earlier this year, California listed glyphosate on its cancer-causing substances list. As exposure is rapidly increasing so does interest in the potential health effects for people as well as animals and the environment.

Monsanto continues to declare that its glyphosate-based products are safe for humans, stating that glyphosate is “one of the most thoroughly evaluated herbicide ingredients in the world.” However the company neglects to state on its website that it may have faked its own studies in an effort to draw these safety conclusions. As part of a federal court case against the company, Monsanto’s internal e-mails and e-mails between the company and federal regulators suggests that the company may be duping consumers with these claims. Monsanto adds that glyphosate “poses no unreasonable risk to people, wildlife, or the environment…” But a growing body of independent research suggests otherwise.

Even Monsanto’s own material safety data sheet recommends: “Keep away from food, drink, and animal feed.” But, isn’t that exactly how its glyphosate products like Roundup are used—on food and animal feed crops?

Bayer AG recently put forth a bid to acquire Monsanto which may be profitable in the short-term but could have damaging long-term financial implications if Monsanto loses its high-profile lawsuit in which people alleging to have developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after glyphosate exposure are suing the company. The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, conducted a review of approximately 1000 studies before drawing its conclusions linking glyphosate to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and declaring glyphosate a “probable carcinogen.”

While Monsanto claims that glyphosate poses no unreasonable risk, the potential link to cancer of the lymphatic system seems like an unreasonable risk to me and a good enough reason to ban this chemical for good.