California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog
Why Is Roundup a Serious Environmental Hazard for Humans?
Monsanto Roundup is a pesticide that uses an active ingredient called glyphosate, that is shown to be carcinogenic to humans. The glyphosate chemical can stay in the environment for days, months or even years, creating a health hazard for people exposed to this toxin. If this is now what you or a loved one is dealing with– get in touch with one of the best Los Angeles Roundup Law Firms at Walch Law NOW!
Glyphosate Secretes a Toxic Effect on the Neurotransmission in Human Cells
It is shown by studies that glyphosate can produce a toxic effect to the neuronal growth, differentiation and myelination of human cells. Said simply, exposure to glyphosate can affect the early stages of life on a person’s nervous system. Glyphosate is a dangerous chemical, that affects the human body by disrupting many different bodily systems, including:
- Neuronal growth
- Myelination
- Differentiation in cells
- Toxic effects on neurotransmissions
- Induces oxidative stressors
- Produces neuroinflammation
- Encourages mitochondrial dysfunction
- Leads to neuronal death
- Produces autophagy
- Produces necrosis
- Produces apoptosis
- Can produce motor disorders
- Can produce behavioral disorders
- Has neurotoxic effects in the body
- Alters structures and function of the nervous system
You’d almost wonder how this chemical can still be allowed to be used today, what with its deadly combination of side-effects, interactions and adverse effects on humans. But it is widely used still as an herbicide, and still a harmful chemical used in Monsanto Roundup weed killer.
Glyphosate Type of Weed Killers Lead Global Pesticide Markets
Glyphosate is the leading herbicide around the globe today. There is expected that nearly 1,000 tons of glyphosate products will be produced annually around the world by the year 2025 or just after that timeline. The reason that glyphosate is so dangerous to humans, is because of how it works to kill plants in the first place. Glyphosates block the shikimic acid pathway in a plant organism, which is how the plant synthesizes amino acids to grow. The use of glyphosate literally does kill the plant in several days, but the toxicity of glyphosate gets transferred over to humans when we eat those plants around the weeds that were killed.
In some ways, glyphosate is biodegraded in soil when used as a standard weed killer. But it is also the case that glyphosates will still be found binding to the soil. When this happens, even if the glyphosate is considered to be biologically inactive, it can get into the groundwater in the areas where it is used to kill weeds. If there is a constant application of glyphosate to continue to kill weeds in an area, then the soil can become saturated with this harsh chemical, and provide a ripe avenue for an occupational or environmental exposure to humans at that point.
What Happens to Glyphosate in Water Resources and Groundwater Areas Where Roundup Is Used?
If glyphosate seeps into the groundwater or water resources where it is used on a farm or other growing area, the glyphosate can contaminate the water that people drink in that region. For example, if the glyphosate from a Monsanto Roundup application runs into the soil and contaminates the groundwater, then there may be toxic conditions in the water resources from the Roundup. Overall, the half-life of glyphosate in water can be from several days to around 90 days, but it is found in marine water for over 300 days after an application in the soil. The glyphosates can stay in foods or crops for over a year after the chemical Roundup is applied to a food or to the crop soil around food being grown on a farm.
Studies show glyphosates in the urine of farmers, and it has been measured to be present in farm animals as well. Generally speaking, the bad news is that some residue of glyphosate has been found in 60-80% of the mass population of our country, as nearly half of people in Europe also have residuals of glyphosate in their bodies as well when measured. If you have questions regarding your exposure to glyphosate, you can contact the Law Offices of Gary K. Walch, and you can call us at 866-INJURY2 or 866-465-8792.
References
Costas-Ferreira, C., Durán, R., & Faro, L. R. F. (2022). Toxic Effects of Glyphosate on the Nervous System: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(9), 4605. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23094605