4 ms·

Weed Killer Glyphosate Found in Most American’s Urine

60 points by fortran77 4y ago

thenerdhead 4y ago
This is the same chemical that was advertised as "safer than table salt" and "practically nontoxic" in earlier Roundup marketing campaigns. If you've ever used it even for killing weeds in your yard, you surely know that this stuff kills almost anything in its path. It's not something you want on your body, let alone inside of it.
- pkaye 4y ago
  > If you've ever used it even for killing weeds in your yard, you surely know that this stuff kills almost anything in its path. It's not something you want on your body, let alone inside of it. Neither would you want most organic pesticides inside your body.
  - thenerdhead 4y ago
    That's why you buy USDA Organic to ensure you have less levels of em!
    - riversflow 4y ago
      I'm not sure if this is sarcasm... but if you actually trust/believe that farmers don't cheat during facility inspections, I don't know what to tell you. Every USDA organic farm I've ever had an inside track on is guilty, and that's quite a few. There is no random testing of domestic crops, only imports.[1] Domestic producers are subject to compliance, but the process is scheduled, typically sampling happens onsite, and the FDA makes announcements about crops it plans to investigate.[2] My understanding from talking with experts is that imported produce in particular is subject to significantly greater oversight than domestic produce. [1]https://www.fda.gov/food/importing-food-products-united-states/fda-strategy-safety-imported-food https://www.fda.gov/food/importing-food-products-united-stat... [2]https://www.fda.gov/food/compliance-enforcement-food/sampling-protect-food-supply https://www.fda.gov/food/compliance-enforcement-food/samplin...
      - thenerdhead 4y ago
        If they are held to a standard, it's better than none at all. It was a bit tongue in cheek of a comment though. https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/organic-standards https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/organic-standards
      - cjrp 4y ago
        Do the inspections not involve going out to the fields and testing crops/soil?
        riversflow 4y ago
        According to this pdf[1] they may take soil or tissue samples, but primarily the inspection leans on self-reporting. I’d wager that the (3rd party) inspector is mostly checking that you are following your Organic System Plan. There is also nothing stopping the certifier from sending out a separate consultant the week before to make sure their customer has all their ducks in a row. I know thats a thing for ISO certificates. Fwiw, most regulatory agencies I’m familiar with in the US rely heavily on self-reporting. [1] https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Guide%20to%20Organic%20Certification.pdf https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Guide%20t...
      - omilu 4y ago
        >>but if you actually trust/believe that farmers don't cheat during facility inspections, I don't know what to tell you. Every USDA organic farm I've ever had an inside track on is guilty, and that's quite a few This is how half the country feels about election officials.
        feet 4y ago
        The people who feel that way about election officials have missed the forest for the trees. The US is a one party state, elections don't matter because the runners are decided by those with the capital to finance them Both parties are captured by corporate interests
- SigmundA 4y ago
  Glyphosate interferes with the shikimate pathway which is not found in animals. It takes large ingested quantities to cause any side effects probably related to the preservatives not the Glyphosate itself.
  - thenerdhead 4y ago
    https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2015/03/monsanto-lobbyist-drink-roundup.html https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2015/03/monsanto-lobbyist-dr...
    - SigmundA 4y ago
      Would you drink a glass water mixed with organic fertilizer (manure)? Just because something is good or bad for a plant does not mean its is good or bad for humans. Pure water will kill you if you drink enough, toxicity is all about the dose and we do not get enough dose of glyphosate through any mean to cause health problems through any known mechanism. At this point its Brandolini's law here is more info to dig deeper: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/update-on-glyphosate/ https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/update-on-glyphosate/ Reminds me of the Lyme vaccine my dog takes, why don't we have that for humans, wait we did: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/5/7/17314716/lyme-disease-vaccine-history-effectiveness https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/5/7/17314716/lym....
      - thenerdhead 4y ago
        I get your point, I just think the idea of drinking roundup is humorous. Mostly because I did a lot of landscaping in my teenage years and wouldn't be caught near that chemical without excess PPE. The answer seems to be 85ml though: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15862083/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15862083/
      - fomine3 4y ago
        Dose amount is always less considered factor.
BudaDude 4y ago
It's been theorized that a lot of people who are gluten intolerant are actually reacting to Glyphosate. The US should ban the chemical for being used on plants. Many other countries already have.
- eurasiantiger 4y ago
  It might be more complex than that. For example, if glyphosate was found to inhibit breakdown of gluten, that would cause celiac disease: incomplete breakdown product include gluteomorphins, which are exactly what they sound like and cause inflammation while inhibiting gut motility.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
tomohawk 4y ago
Oats are of particular concern. In the US, they often spray Roundup on oats to prepare the oats for harvest. This kills the oats and gets them dry enough for the equipment. Farmers often don't own the harvesting equipment, so there crops must be ready when the equipment is. Organic oats should not have glyphosate, but most brands are not tested for it. I know from my own experience, if I eat something like Quaker oatmeal, I will get problems with my gut, but if I eat oats that are certified glyphosate free, I have no problems. https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2018/10/roundup-breakfast-part-2-new-tests-weed-killer-found-all-kids#.W4W4kZMzrLZ https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2018/10/round...
- thedougd 4y ago
  Interesting. I was wondering how the heck glyphosate was persisting long enough to make it to food. You can, for example, plant seed immediately after applying and it will grow well.
jokabrink 4y ago
Well it's certainly not a good time for Bayer. Just yesterday, a court in Georgia revived a cancer case regarding Roundup [https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-appeals-court-revives-roundup-weedkiller-cancer-lawsuit-2022-07-12/ https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-appeals-court-revives-ro...].
FunnyBadger 4y ago
Why were "round-up resistant GMO crop plants" created? Because the intent was to allow heavy use of glyphosate to wipe out weeds under the assumption that glyphosate is 100% harmless to humans so eating such a crop plant with so much glyphosate wouldn't matter. That happens to be wrong but that was the assumption of many GMO plants. And why glyphosate is showing up in urine!
- yummypaint 4y ago
  This part of the price we continue to pay for centralized GMO agriculture optimized for immediate profit over all else. Roundup ready corn will continue to be sold until legal liability outweighs profits. When these companies talk about "safety" what they really mean is safety from accountability to the public.

60 points by fortran77 4y ago

This is the same chemical that was advertised as "safer than table salt" and "practically nontoxic" in earlier Roundup marketing campaigns. If you've ever used it even for killing weeds in your yard, you surely know that this stuff kills almost anything in its path. It's not something you want on your body, let alone inside of it.

pkaye 4y ago
> If you've ever used it even for killing weeds in your yard, you surely know that this stuff kills almost anything in its path. It's not something you want on your body, let alone inside of it. Neither would you want most organic pesticides inside your body.
- thenerdhead 4y ago
  That's why you buy USDA Organic to ensure you have less levels of em!
  - riversflow 4y ago
    I'm not sure if this is sarcasm... but if you actually trust/believe that farmers don't cheat during facility inspections, I don't know what to tell you. Every USDA organic farm I've ever had an inside track on is guilty, and that's quite a few. There is no random testing of domestic crops, only imports.[1] Domestic producers are subject to compliance, but the process is scheduled, typically sampling happens onsite, and the FDA makes announcements about crops it plans to investigate.[2] My understanding from talking with experts is that imported produce in particular is subject to significantly greater oversight than domestic produce. [1]https://www.fda.gov/food/importing-food-products-united-states/fda-strategy-safety-imported-food https://www.fda.gov/food/importing-food-products-united-stat... [2]https://www.fda.gov/food/compliance-enforcement-food/sampling-protect-food-supply https://www.fda.gov/food/compliance-enforcement-food/samplin...
    - thenerdhead 4y ago
      If they are held to a standard, it's better than none at all. It was a bit tongue in cheek of a comment though. https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/organic-standards https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/organic-standards
    - cjrp 4y ago
      Do the inspections not involve going out to the fields and testing crops/soil?
      - riversflow 4y ago
        According to this pdf[1] they may take soil or tissue samples, but primarily the inspection leans on self-reporting. I’d wager that the (3rd party) inspector is mostly checking that you are following your Organic System Plan. There is also nothing stopping the certifier from sending out a separate consultant the week before to make sure their customer has all their ducks in a row. I know thats a thing for ISO certificates. Fwiw, most regulatory agencies I’m familiar with in the US rely heavily on self-reporting. [1] https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Guide%20to%20Organic%20Certification.pdf https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Guide%20t...
    - omilu 4y ago
      >>but if you actually trust/believe that farmers don't cheat during facility inspections, I don't know what to tell you. Every USDA organic farm I've ever had an inside track on is guilty, and that's quite a few This is how half the country feels about election officials.
      - feet 4y ago
        The people who feel that way about election officials have missed the forest for the trees. The US is a one party state, elections don't matter because the runners are decided by those with the capital to finance them Both parties are captured by corporate interests
SigmundA 4y ago
Glyphosate interferes with the shikimate pathway which is not found in animals. It takes large ingested quantities to cause any side effects probably related to the preservatives not the Glyphosate itself.
- thenerdhead 4y ago
  https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2015/03/monsanto-lobbyist-drink-roundup.html https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2015/03/monsanto-lobbyist-dr...
  - SigmundA 4y ago
    Would you drink a glass water mixed with organic fertilizer (manure)? Just because something is good or bad for a plant does not mean its is good or bad for humans. Pure water will kill you if you drink enough, toxicity is all about the dose and we do not get enough dose of glyphosate through any mean to cause health problems through any known mechanism. At this point its Brandolini's law here is more info to dig deeper: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/update-on-glyphosate/ https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/update-on-glyphosate/ Reminds me of the Lyme vaccine my dog takes, why don't we have that for humans, wait we did: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/5/7/17314716/lyme-disease-vaccine-history-effectiveness https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/5/7/17314716/lym....
    - thenerdhead 4y ago
      I get your point, I just think the idea of drinking roundup is humorous. Mostly because I did a lot of landscaping in my teenage years and wouldn't be caught near that chemical without excess PPE. The answer seems to be 85ml though: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15862083/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15862083/
    - fomine3 4y ago
      Dose amount is always less considered factor.

BudaDude 4y ago

It's been theorized that a lot of people who are gluten intolerant are actually reacting to Glyphosate. The US should ban the chemical for being used on plants. Many other countries already have.

eurasiantiger 4y ago
It might be more complex than that. For example, if glyphosate was found to inhibit breakdown of gluten, that would cause celiac disease: incomplete breakdown product include gluteomorphins, which are exactly what they sound like and cause inflammation while inhibiting gut motility.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]

tomohawk 4y ago

Oats are of particular concern. In the US, they often spray Roundup on oats to prepare the oats for harvest. This kills the oats and gets them dry enough for the equipment. Farmers often don't own the harvesting equipment, so there crops must be ready when the equipment is. Organic oats should not have glyphosate, but most brands are not tested for it. I know from my own experience, if I eat something like Quaker oatmeal, I will get problems with my gut, but if I eat oats that are certified glyphosate free, I have no problems. https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2018/10/roundup-breakfast-part-2-new-tests-weed-killer-found-all-kids#.W4W4kZMzrLZ https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2018/10/round...

thedougd 4y ago
Interesting. I was wondering how the heck glyphosate was persisting long enough to make it to food. You can, for example, plant seed immediately after applying and it will grow well.

jokabrink 4y ago

Well it's certainly not a good time for Bayer. Just yesterday, a court in Georgia revived a cancer case regarding Roundup [https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-appeals-court-revives-roundup-weedkiller-cancer-lawsuit-2022-07-12/ https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-appeals-court-revives-ro...].

FunnyBadger 4y ago

Why were "round-up resistant GMO crop plants" created? Because the intent was to allow heavy use of glyphosate to wipe out weeds under the assumption that glyphosate is 100% harmless to humans so eating such a crop plant with so much glyphosate wouldn't matter. That happens to be wrong but that was the assumption of many GMO plants. And why glyphosate is showing up in urine!

yummypaint 4y ago
This part of the price we continue to pay for centralized GMO agriculture optimized for immediate profit over all else. Roundup ready corn will continue to be sold until legal liability outweighs profits. When these companies talk about "safety" what they really mean is safety from accountability to the public.