Better known as Roundup, glyphosate is found in pregnant women who live near farms, study finds

Herbicide drift is one possible explanation for the
study's findings. (Photo by Eric Brehm, Unsplash)

Considered the world's most commonly sprayed weedkiller, glyphosate, sometimes sold under the name brand "Roundup," is a suspected cause of  serious health concerns. New research found pregnant women "living near farm fields show 'significantly' increased concentrations of glyphosate weedkiller in their urine during periods when farmers spray their fields with the herbicide," reports Carey Gillam of The Guardian. "The research team said the findings were concerning, given recent studies that have found gestational exposure to glyphosate is associated with reduced fetal growth and other fetal problems."

The study yielded some surprising results, Gilliam writes, "because none of the women studied worked with glyphosate or other herbicides or had a household member who worked with weedkillers, said Cynthia Curl, associate professor at Boise State and lead author on the paper. Curl couldn't account for how the women were exposed and questioned whether herbicide drift, soil particle adhesion, house dust or drinking water were to blame. She told Gilliam: "Until we figure that out, we can't suggest the right interventions."

For the study, researchers from the University of California, the University of Washington, Boise State University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention included 40 pregnant women in southern Idaho and took into account their proximity to farms using glyphosate. "In those living near the fields, glyphosate was detected both more frequently and at much higher concentrations during the months when farmers were spraying glyphosate than during the periods when they were not spraying," Gilliam reports. "Those participants living farther away still showed glyphosate in their urine, but the frequency and concentrations stayed relatively unchanged throughout the year."

Philip Landrigan, director of the Program for Global Public Health at Boston College, told Gilliam, “Sadly, I am not surprised that pregnant women who live near fields sprayed with glyphosate have elevated levels of glyphosate in their bodies during the spraying season. This situation is analogous to the elevated exposures to benzene, 1,3-butadiene and other toxic plastics chemicals that have been documented in women who live in ‘fenceline’ communities.”

Gilliam adds, "Though glyphosate has been on the market for more than 50 years, it is only within the last few years that researchers have started to document the extent of human exposure."