Roundup is the most widely used herbicide in the world. Is Roundup dangerous? How harmful is Roundup to your own health and to the natural environment? What can or should you do?

Does Roundup cause cancer?

Is Roundup dangerous to your health? There is no clear answer from research and health authorities on whether exposure to Roundup and its active ingredient, glyphosate, leads to cancer. Some studies have linked Roundup to several types of cancer, including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, b-cell lymphoma and leukemia. In 2015 the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic in humans.”

Meanwhile, in 2019 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concluded that glyphosate was probably not carcinogenic. The European Food Safety Authority, Health Canada and other agencies have also concluded that glyphosate does not cause cancer when used as directed.

Multiple lawsuits have asserted that Roundup causes cancer. Juries in three separate trials returned multimillion-dollar verdicts against Bayer AG, according to PR Newswire. (Bayer acquired Roundup-maker Monsanto in 2018.) Just a few weeks ago a federal appeals court upheld a $25 million judgment and verdict finding that Roundup caused a California resident’s non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Bayer has committed $9.6 billion to settle 125,000 claims over Roundup.

Bayer has countered the lawsuits by arguing that decades of studies have shown Roundup and glyphosate are safe for human use. The company also claims that Roundup is less damaging to the environment than other commonly used chemicals.

Other potential health effects of Roundup

Cancer is not the only potential health issue. In 2013 a peer-reviewed study found that heavy use of Roundup could be linked to a range of health problems and diseases, including Parkinson’s, infertility and cancer. The report found that residues of Roundup found in food help to disrupt normal body functions and induce disease.

According to verywellhealth, “there are many claims that exposure to glyphosate can cause various health issues in humans, most notably endocrine disruption and fertility issues, increased risk of toxicity in pregnant women and children, the development of liver disease, and microbiome disruption.”

Dr. Zach Bush, an internationally recognized educator on the microbiome, argues that the increase in diseases such as autism, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s over the past 30 years is related to our industrialized agriculture system and the widespread use of chemicals, especially Roundup. According to Bush, Roundup overwhelms the body’s immune system, increasing the tendency toward autoimmune diseases and other health problems.

How widespread is Roundup in the U.S.?

Roundup Ready crops, genetically modified to survive Roundup, are common. In 2019 the New York Times reported that 94 percent of the soybeans and 90 percent of the corn and cotton grown in the U.S. were resistant to Roundup.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimated that glyphosate use on crops increased from 13.9 million pounds in 1992 to 287 million pounds in 2016. In the Midwest, farmers used nearly 40 times more glyphosate in 2016 than in 1992.

Roundup is also commonly used to manage weeds on home landscapes, to maintain rights of way, and in forestry practices and ecological restoration.

Is Roundup dangerous to the natural environment?

Roundup is a broad-spectrum herbicide, which means it kills all plants on which it is applied. This has had devastating effects on beneficial plants such as milkweed, the essential diet of monarch butterfly larvae. The amount of milkweed in Iowa farm fields has fallen by more than 98 percent.

The loss of milkweed is one reason that the monarch butterfly population in the eastern U.S. has fallen about 80 percent since the mid-1990s. In the western U.S. the decline has been even steeper.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it can take from three to 249 days for glyphosate to break down in soil. Some studies have found that glyphosate has a negative effect on soil biology. This includes decreases in beneficial mycorrhizae fungi, beneficial bacteria and earthworms. Dr. Zach Bush asserts that heavy chemical use in agriculture has destroyed the soil, making plants less healthy.

Much of the Roundup applied washes off into aquifers and rivers, or enters the environment in other ways, exposing people as well as fish and wildlife. A U.S. Geological Survey study in 2014 collected more than 2,000 samples across the United States. It found that glyphosate is more mobile and occurs more widely in the environment than was previously thought.

The same USGS study found glyphosate in 86 percent of rain samples, 71 percent of ditches and drains and 63 percent of soil samples. Most concentrations were small, below levels of concern for humans or wildlife. However, USGS said that “the ecosystem effects of chronic low-level exposures to mixtures of pesticides are uncertain.”

What are the options to replace Roundup in agriculture?

The heavy reliance of industrialized agriculture on Roundup may be unsustainable. There are growing problems with superweeds that are resistant to glyphosate. One study reported that at least 24 weed species were immune to glyphosate. Sixteen of those had been found in fields planted with Roundup Ready crops, leaving few alternatives to control them.

One option is to rely more on natural farming methods. Regenerative agriculture is a growing movement whose goal is to rebuild soil organic matter and restore degraded soil biodiversity. This can reverse the damage that industrial agriculture has done to the soil. It can also decrease greenhouse gas emissions, reverse climate change and improve the water cycle. Healthy soil is capable of producing high-quality, nutrient-dense food.

Regenerative agriculture includes practices such as conservation tillage, cover crops, crop rotation, composting, mobile animal shelters and pasture cropping. It increases food production, farmers’ income and especially topsoil.

According to AgFunder Network, a “2013 study published in Agricultural Systems showed that, compared to conventionally managed farms, regenerative farms could accommodate more cattle per acre, had lower cow and calf mortality, purchased less feed, and used fewer herbicides. Researchers also found that topsoil was deeper, more aerated, and densely covered with plants.”

If you’d like to find out more about regenerative agriculture, one option is the film The Biggest Little Farm. The documentary follows a couple as they work to develop a sustainable farm on 200 acres outside of Los Angeles. Over seven years they transform the arid landscape into a fully functional farm and biodiverse habitat.

How can you reduce your exposure to Roundup?

In your food

Look for food from farms that are practicing regenerative agriculture. This includes eggs from pasture-raised hens, grass-fed beef and similar foods. You will be more likely to find these foods from small farmers who are not invested in the industrial agricultural system. They are more willing to try sustainable approaches to grow healthier food and help heal the planet.

Look for organic foods. The Environmental Working Group publishes annual shopping guides that list the foods most likely to have pesticide residues (the Dirty Dozen) and those least likely to have pesticide residues (the Clean Fifteen).

Farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture and local grocery store chains such as PCC and Town and Country Markets are a few ways to find sustainable and organic foods.

You could also grow your own organic food at home. This includes vegetable gardens as well as edible landscaping such as berry bushes and fruit trees. Read our blog post on tips for successful vegetable gardening.

In your home landscape

Build healthy soil. A healthy food web will lead to healthy trees, shrubs and lawns that grow well. When plants grow thick and lush, weeds have a harder time invading.

If you would like help building the health of your soil, contact In Harmony. Our natural lawn, tree and shrub care services work to improve soil health and feed beneficial soil microorganisms.

Plant desirable plants densely and in layers (tall, medium, short) to shade out weeds. Layered plantings have other advantages. They provide more visual and seasonal interest in landscapes. And the variety of vegetation helps plants resist insects and other pests.

Use thick layers of mulch (at least a few inches) to cover soil in garden beds. Weeds thrive in bare ground. Read our blog post on the Do’s and don’ts of mulch to find out more about how to use mulch in your landscape.

If you need to control weeds, explore less-toxic alternatives to Roundup. We do not use Roundup in any of our clients’ landscapes.

• Pull weeds by hand. Tools like a weeder, hoe, hori hori or sickle can make the job easier.
• Apply less-toxic herbicides based on soaps, natural acids such as vinegar, iron, salt and phytotoxic oils. Read more about these herbicides from Grow Smart, Grow Safe and Moms Across America.

Here’s to a healthier planet and healthier people!