The Buzz About Roundup
 | Author:
Allison Kosto, MSU Broadwater County Extension Agent
MSU Broadwater County Extension Agent |
The Buzz About Roundup
Allison Kosto
MSU Broadwater County Extension Agent
Almost annually, Roundup makes national headlines for another lawsuit or incident related to its use. With national attention, it’s easy to become alarmed and question its use, safety and efficiency. It’s even harder to detangle the information out there related to this product.
While I used the word Roundup to catch your attention, the word Roundup is actually a brand name for an herbicide owned by the company Bayer who acquired Monsanto in 2018. The active ingredient in most Roundup products is glyphosate which is actually the chemical that causes concern and is found in multiple herbicide products. Glyphosate is the main focus of this article.
Glyphosate is an herbicide that has been used in the United States for over fifty years. However, use of glyphosate increased in the last couple of decades with the introduction of Roundup-Ready crops. It is a non-selective herbicide which means that it kills whatever it comes into contact with. Specifically, this chemical works by preventing the plant from producing certain amino acids. Without these amino acids, the plants eventually die. It is a slow acting herbicide and can take 7 to 10 days to show effects. It is important to note that humans and animals do not have this specific amino acid pathway, so it does not affect mammals in the same way it affects plants.
Toxicity is a concern with any pesticides, including glyphosate. There are two types of toxicity. Acute toxicity is a single exposure to a hazard. For example, dermal exposure through the skin. Chronic toxicity occurs after long-term exposure to a chemical such as repeated ingestion of low doses in food residues or long-term use exposure. According to PennState Extension, glyphosate has lower acute toxicity than 94% of all herbicides and many common household chemicals including vinegar and table salt. LD50 is a measure of how much of a substance it takes to kill half of a test group of animals. It is used to measure acute toxicity. The oral (ingested) LD50 of glyphosate is 4900 mg/kg while the LD50 of bleach is 192 mg/kg. This means it takes significantly less bleach (meaning it is more toxic) to kill a human or animal than glyphosate. Additionally, glyphosate has lower chronic toxicity to humans than 90% of all herbicides.
Another concern that has been in the spotlight in recent years has been glyphosate’s association with cancer. This stems from a 2015 report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) that listed glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen. However, this same report includes red meat, indoor emissions from burning wood and late-night work shifts as possible carcinogens. Furthermore, the report included known human carcinogens which included processed meats, alcoholic beverages, sunlight and air pollution.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the government agency responsible for determining if a pesticide is safe to use. After IARC released their report, EPA followed up with their own report in 2017 and another report in 2019. Both reports determined that glyphosate was not carcinogenic to humans. These reports were based on scientific data; there are currently no published studies that directly link glyphosate to cancer.
So why has Bayer faced multiple lawsuits related to cancer and Roundup use? This may be a rabbit hole that I don’t want to go down in an article, because there are many reasons why this is so murky. One, it is important to remember that these are mostly jury trials. The decisions are being made based on evidence heard in a trial by a jury of peers. It is not being made by educated scientists or even doctors. IARC has identified 120 known carcinogens, and the National Toxicology Program has listed 256 substances that cause cancer. In many cases, it is difficult to identify the exact cause of cancer.
It’s also important to mention that studies show there is a minimal risk of toxicity when using glyphosate according to label instructions. The product label is the law and contains tons of critical information, including personal protective equipment, rates, environmental hazards and more. If you skip a step and you don’t follow the label instructions, then you are liable if something happens or if exposure occurs as a result of mis- or incorrect use. The risk of toxicity to humans and the environment increases substantially when you don’t follow the label.
The bottom line is that using pesticides is a personal choice. If you aren’t comfortable with using them, then use alternative methods of pest control. An integrated pest management approach, which uses the life cycle of pests in addition to diverse control methods beyond pesticides, is the best way to approach pest control and reduce pesticide use. Pesticides, including glyphosate, can be used safely when following the label. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a risk, just that the risk has been minimized based on research and best practices. As we all know, there is a lot of misinformation about products in the media. Doing your research is also an important part of using pesticides safely.
For more information or recommendations regarding pesticides or pest control, stop by MSU Extension in Broadwater at 416 Broadway in Townsend or contact 406-266-9242 or allison.kosto@montana.edu.
