Roundup's main ingredient is a probable human carcinogen, yet it continues to be the most widely used herbicide in the world. The EPA must ban it, unless and until independent research proves it safe.
Roundup Advanced contains no glyphosate active ingredient listed, it's actually acetic acid. The active ingredient in Roundup Advanced providing “fast action, non-selective control and rapid burndown” is just good ol' vinegar.
Glyphosate also seems to exert a significant toxic effect on neurotransmission and to induce oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction, processes that lead to neuronal death due to autophagy, necrosis, or apoptosis, as well as the appearance of behavioral and motor disorders.
This potential for confusion has increased because beginning in 2024, many Roundup-branded herbicides available to consumers will no longer contain glyphosate at all. This active ingredient is being replaced by a combination of multiple active ingredients (e.g., diquat, fluazifop, and triclopyr) in select products.
And today, environmental nonprofit Friends of the Earth (FOE) released a report calling into question the company's new ingredients, claiming the reformulated products are even more toxic than the old.
Because of mounting cancer concerns, a growing number of cities and counties are banning or limiting glyphosate including municipalities in California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico and Washington.
As long as it is completely dry, Roundup is largely non-toxic to animals. Make no mistake: Roundup is dangerous when it's wet. Don't let your pets (or other animals) walk around or eat plants that have been freshly sprayed with Roundup, no matter if it's glyphosate-based or not.
Even if you eat all organic, many oat-based foods such as cereal, granola, instant oats, and bars contain glyphosate, the toxic weed-killer in Roundup.
Exposure to glyphosate-based pesticides has been linked to certain types of cancer as well as to adverse effects on human development and hormonal systems. What is of particular concern is that certain health effects associated with the use of glyphosate can also be passed down to other generations.
Generally, vinegar is categorized as a natural or organic weed killer. So, it lures many people to believe its use is safe. However, the opposite is true as it is a corrosive substance. It is acetic acid (the chemical that kills weeds).
It can persist in soil for up to 6 months depending on the climate and the type of soil it is in. Glyphosate is broken down by bacteria in the soil. Glyphosate is not likely to get into groundwater because it binds tightly to soil. In one study, half the glyphosate in dead leaves broke down in 8 or 9 days.
Adding ammonium sulfate (AMS) to the water in the spray tank before adding glyphosate will act as a water conditioner and improve weed control, regardless of whether or not a surfactant is needed.
The surfactant ingredient in Roundup is more acutely toxic than glyphosate itself and the combination of the two is yet more toxic. Glyphosate is suspected of causing genetic damage. Glyphosate is acutely toxic to fish and birds and can kill beneficial insects and soil organisms that maintain ecological balance.
Belgium, France and the Netherlands have banned it for household use. On the other hand, Germany, which is widely known as the house of chemicals, has also forbidden glyphosate from being used publicly. It also plans to ban this herbicide by the end of 2023.
Roundup in our food, beverages, and water
As we've confirmed in this study, Roundup is found in beer and wine. This confirms past studies on the topic, which found that glyphosate is found in almost all adult beverages.
Disorders of the digestive tract including the esophagus, stomach, and intestines: Avoid eating oat products. Digestive problems that could extend the length of time it takes for your food to be digested could allow oats to block your intestine.
In response to our customers, we worked with our oat suppliers to put an end to their use of glyphosate as a pre-harvest desiccant for all varieties of Bob's Red Mill oats.
If a large amount is swallowed, glyphosate can cause nausea and vomiting. It can be very irritating if it is left on your skin or eyes. Glyphosate has been associated with respiratory effects (lung and nose), such as irritation in the nose, or asthma, in people using glyphosate products.
Yes. Roundup contains a suspected carcinogen known as glyphosate, therefore wearing a mask when spraying Roundup can reduce the amount of this chemical entering the respiratory system of the person spraying it.
In most cases when a dog has been exposed to toxic amounts of an herbicide, they exhibit gastrointestinal symptoms. However, exposure to larger quantities or small amounts over a longer period (chronic exposure) can lead to severe neurologic and cardiovascular impairment.
The three highest concentrations were found in flavors of Quaker Oatmeal Squares. Seven samples tested for both glyphosate and chlormequat contained detectable levels of both. This suggests these chemicals are present together in many oat-based foods.
Here is where it is used the most. Weedkillers containing glyphosate are sprayed on nearly half of all corn and soybeans grown in the U.S. Use is highest in parts of Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. Every day, farms across the country use a potentially cancer-causing chemical that is in the world's most common weedkillers.
In 2016, the Italian government banned the use of glyphosate as a pre-harvest treatment and placed restrictions on glyphosate use in areas frequented by the public. In November of 2017, Italy was one of seven EU nations to vote against relicensing glyphosate.
The IARC has classified glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen, but its status as one is far from decided in the eyes of the international scientific community. There is much work to be done in the foreseeable future to elucidate the mechanisms by which it may cause human health risks.