A new study has revealed that a staggering 93 percent of Americans have traces of glyphosate in their urine. Glyphosate, the active ingredient found in the Monsanto Roundup weed killer, has been the subject of scrutiny since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a probable human carcinogen last year and concerns over glyphosate safety have only intensified.
The results of the glyphosate toxicity study, which was organized by The Detox Project and commissioned by Organic Consumers, were made public at the end of May. Researchers conducted this unique glyphosate toxicity study on individuals who paid to have their urine samples analyzed by experts at the University of California San Francisco. The study provided more urine samples for glyphosate biomonitoring than any other study conducted in America.
The data released by researchers at the end of May includes only the first 131 subjects tested. Further data on more test subjects will be made available in the months to come, and the Detox Project has indicated that it will be working with a larger laboratory later this year to again offer Americans the chance to have their urine analyzed for glyphosate herbicide toxicity levels.
The researchers were able to find traces of glyphosate in 93 percent of the subjects analyzed, with an average toxicity concentration level of 3.096 parts per billion (PPB). Perhaps the most disquieting aspect of this glyphosate toxicity study is that children had the highest levels of glyphosate concentration in their urine. Children who participated in the study were found to have an average glyphosate concentration level of 3.586 PPB—higher than any other age demographic. This finding raises serious concerns over glyphosate safety regarding children.
The regions of the U.S. with the highest glyphosate herbicide concentration levels were in the West and the Midwest, where the averages were 3.053 PPB and 3.050 PPB respectively. Researchers also studied toxicity levels of tap water samples, though they did not find any traces of glyphosate, presumably because of phosphorous removal during water treatment.
The results of this glyphosate toxicity study are interesting when compared to a similar study conducted in Europe in 2013. The average glyphosate level in Europe was found to be around 1 PPB, with a frequency of roughly 43.9 percent. In short, far more Americans are exposed to glyphosate and at much higher concentration levels.
In 2015, 17 cancer experts from 11 countries analyzed evidence from a number of glyphosate safety studies at the behest of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the cancer research arm of the World Health Organization (WHO). The panel of experts unanimously agreed that glyphosate is ‘probably carcinogenic to humans.’
Many individuals have since made the decision to file a Monsanto Roundup lawsuit, claiming that exposure to the weed killer caused them to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma or other forms of cancer. Since Monsanto first brought its Roundup weed killer to market, the multinational biochemical giant has maintained that Roundup is safe. However, glyphosate safety studies have produced results to the contrary, finding links to cancer and other serious health problems.
Glyphosate Safety: Is Low-Level Exposure Dangerous?
American regulators have never studied glyphosate safety at the concentration levels at which most people are exposed to the chemical (less than 3 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day). The lack of glyphosate safety data in this area is surprising, considering that evidence exists linking even low levels of the chemical to endocrine disruption.
Industry-funded science from years ago previously suggested that chemicals were more dangerous at higher concentration levels. But an independent study conducted recently found that many toxic chemicals can have just as much effect on our health, even at low concentration levels. These types of chemicals are known as endocrine disruptors.
Endocrine disruptors can interfere with the endocrine (or hormonal) system, leading to the growth of cancerous tumors, birth defects, and other developmental disorders. A 2015 study conducted in the European Union (EU) found that health care costs associated with illnesses linked to endocrine disruptors cost the EU over 150 billion Euros every year. The same study found that endocrine disruptors were linked to adult obesity, lower IQ, and five percent more autism cases.
According to Ecowatch, glyphosate is likely to be an endocrine disruptor at regular, every-day exposure levels of 0.1 PPB or less, but neither the U.S. government nor the chemical industry has made a glyphosate safety study at low concentrations a priority.
Monsanto Roundup Lawsuit
If you have been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma or another form of cancer after being exposed to Roundup weed killer, you may be entitled to compensation by filing a Monsanto Roundup lawsuit. A number of glyphosate safety studies have found evidence linking Roundup [glyphosate] to serious side effects, including bone cancer, colon cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, and thyroid cancer, among others.
The law firm of Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman is currently investigating claims of serious Roundup weed killer side effects. If you’d like to learn more about pursuing a claim against Monsanto, get in touch with a Monsanto Roundup lawyer today.
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