WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT GLYPHOSATE đźš©
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup and the most widely used weed killer in the world today. Developed in the 1970s by Monsanto (now part of Bayer), glyphosate revolutionized agriculture by offering farmers an easy way to control weeds. But there is mounting research and evidence that glyphosate is causing serious health issues.
Glyphosate disrupts a plant's essential metabolic pathway – the shikimate pathway – blocking it from producing essential amino acids for growth and killing the plant. Proponents have argued that humans don’t have a shikimate pathway, so the chemical doesn’t have any effect on humans. But some gut bacteria within the gut microbiome do have a shikimate pathway. And science has determined in recent years that a healthy gut microbiome is linked to overall health, and disruptions are associated with various diseases.
Multiple studies suggest glyphosate exposure harms beneficial gut bacteria and can alter the gut microbiome.
What You Need to Know
- Glyphosate use by U.S. farmers rose from 12.5 million pounds in 1995 to 250 million pounds in 2014, a 20X increase
- Glyphosate has been classified a "probable carcinogen" by the IARC – aka, cancer-causing – and has coincided with a rise in lawsuits from individuals who claim exposure caused them to develop cancer, particularly non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- With over 170,000 claims against them, Bayer is lobbying at the federal and local level to limit litigation that can be brought against them (in 2024, Bayer was ordered to $2.25 billions when jury determined Roundup caused Pennsylvania man’s cancer)
- Glyphosate is used on almost all GMO crops (“Roundup Ready”), so it’s important to look for non-GMO or, better yet, organic when purchasing food
- Glyphosate is ALSO used on all kinds of crops as a desiccant (helps dry before harvest), including wheat, oats, barley, canola, lentils, beans/legumes, potatoes, peas, sunflowers and soybeans – this is never disclosed on a food label – so it’s best to buy organic when products contain these ingredients
Highly recommend @glyphosategirl on Instagram if you want to learn more about glyphosate!
Sources
https://www.iarc.who.int/featured-news/media-centre-iarc-news-glyphosate/
https://www.nbcnews.com/data-graphics/toxic-herbicides-map-showing-high-use-state-rcna50052
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/29/us/roundup-cancer-verdict-philadelphia-bayer-monsanto/index.html