5 ms·
I am no expert, but isn't this stuff supposed to degrade quickly in soil? Isn't that the whole reason why we're using it in the first place? If it behaves diffe
by jihadjihad 9y ago
I am no expert, but isn't this stuff supposed to degrade quickly in soil? Isn't that the whole reason why we're using it in the first place? If it behaves differently than expected, the implications are enormous--this stuff is even sprayed, as one commenter also noted, over the entire crop before harvest. Can anyone trust Monsanto?
- jakewins 9y agoI think you are confusing "degrade" with "run-off"; glyphosate "sticks" to soils with high organic content - presumably due to opposing electric charges. The point of that being that it doesn't get washed into watersheds et cetera when it rains; of course, again, this only applies in high-organic-content soils. Glyphosate degrades with a "half-life" of about 1-170 days. If you consume a product sprayed with glyphosate within about 90 days of the last spray, on average it will contain about half of the original dose. Source: http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/dienochlor-glyphosate/glyphosate-ext.html http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/dienochlor-gly...
- ItsMe000001 9y agoWhat is the half-life based on? Spontaneous decomposition? Or does it depend on external factors such as exposure to sun light (certain wavelengths)? If it depends on such factors half-life is variable depending on those conditions.
- jakewins 9y agoIt seems this number is for soil decomposition from microbial action. It's stable to chemical and photo decomposition. It also seems I was wrong about half-life in plants; the half life given for some tree species is 9 days. Unsurprisingly, industry does not appear to have funded research on the half-life in corn, soy and other commonly sprayed products. http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/archive/glyphotech.html http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/archive/glyphotech.html