Research Forum
You can't escape glyphosate, it's in the rain, surface water, and air
Quote from Dr. Garrett Smith on January 29, 2019, 11:12 amThis is meant to be a reality check, not meant to make you want to live indoors forever. Glyphosate is in the rainwater, the surface water (think lakes and rivers and oceans), and in the air we breathe. This is the reality. We should always be doing what we can to reduce the source (legislation, buy organic, filtering water), and in the meantime do what we can to detoxify it out of our system with scientifically proven means. Note that AMPA is a degradation product of glyphosate.
It's in the air:
Recent experimental and monitoring studies confirm wind-driven transport of glyphosate and AMPA (Bento et al., 2017, Farenhorst et al., 2015, Lamprea and Ruban, 2011, Quaghebeur et al., 2004). Bento et al. (2017) demonstrated in a wind tunnel experiment that contents of AMPA and especially of glyphosate were particularly high (respectively > 0.6 and > 15 μg g− 1) in the finest soil particle fractions (< 10 μm), which can be inhaled by humans directly. In addition, both glyphosate and AMPA were often (> 50%) detected in air samples collected from agricultural areas in the U.S.A, reaching concentrations of respectively 9.1 and 0.97 ng m− 3 (Chang et al., 2011).
It's in the surface water:
Pesticides in Mississippi air and rain: a comparison between 1995 and 2007.
Glyphosate and its degradation product, aminomethyl-phosphonic acid (AMPA), were detected in ≥75% of air and rain samples in 2007
It's not just affecting rural farming areas, it's in the urban cities too:
The presence in the atmosphere of glyphosate (GLP) and atrazine (ATZ) was investigated-those pesticides dominating the market in Argentina-through rain, as the main climatic phenomenon associated with wet deposition, both through analyzing source-receptor relationships with soil along with the climatic influences that may condition that transport and through estimating the annual deposition on the surface of the Argentine pampas. Rainwater samples (n = 112) were collected throughout each rainfall in urban areas of the pampas having different degrees of land use and with extensive crop production plus subsurface-soil samples (n = 58) from the relevant periurban sites. The herbicides-analyzed by liquid-chromatography-mass-spectrometry-were detected in >80% of the rain samples at median-to-maximum concentrations of 1.24-67.3 μg·L-1 (GLP) and 0.22-26.9 μg·L-1(ATZ), while aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) was detected at 34% (0.75-7.91 μg·L-1). In soils, GLP was more frequently registered (41%; 102-323 μg·kg-1) followed by ATZ (32%; 7-66 μg·kg-1) and then AMPA (22%; 223-732 μg·kg-1).
If it's in the air, it's in the rain. If it's in the rain, it's in the surface waters. If it's in the surface waters, it's in the oceans.
Glyphosate persistence in seawater
This study demonstrates glyphosate is moderately persistent in the marine water under low light conditions and is highly persistent in the dark. Little degradation would be expected during flood plumes in the tropics, which could potentially deliver dissolved and sediment-bound glyphosate far from shore.
The point of this post is to make sure that you understand that "eating organic" will not eliminate your exposure to glyphosate or any other "-cide" being used. It is one of the most important steps to take though!
This is meant to be a reality check, not meant to make you want to live indoors forever. Glyphosate is in the rainwater, the surface water (think lakes and rivers and oceans), and in the air we breathe. This is the reality. We should always be doing what we can to reduce the source (legislation, buy organic, filtering water), and in the meantime do what we can to detoxify it out of our system with scientifically proven means. Note that AMPA is a degradation product of glyphosate.
It's in the air:
Recent experimental and monitoring studies confirm wind-driven transport of glyphosate and AMPA (Bento et al., 2017, Farenhorst et al., 2015, Lamprea and Ruban, 2011, Quaghebeur et al., 2004). Bento et al. (2017) demonstrated in a wind tunnel experiment that contents of AMPA and especially of glyphosate were particularly high (respectively > 0.6 and > 15 μg g− 1) in the finest soil particle fractions (< 10 μm), which can be inhaled by humans directly. In addition, both glyphosate and AMPA were often (> 50%) detected in air samples collected from agricultural areas in the U.S.A, reaching concentrations of respectively 9.1 and 0.97 ng m− 3 (Chang et al., 2011).
It's in the surface water:
Pesticides in Mississippi air and rain: a comparison between 1995 and 2007.
Glyphosate and its degradation product, aminomethyl-phosphonic acid (AMPA), were detected in ≥75% of air and rain samples in 2007
It's not just affecting rural farming areas, it's in the urban cities too:
The presence in the atmosphere of glyphosate (GLP) and atrazine (ATZ) was investigated-those pesticides dominating the market in Argentina-through rain, as the main climatic phenomenon associated with wet deposition, both through analyzing source-receptor relationships with soil along with the climatic influences that may condition that transport and through estimating the annual deposition on the surface of the Argentine pampas. Rainwater samples (n = 112) were collected throughout each rainfall in urban areas of the pampas having different degrees of land use and with extensive crop production plus subsurface-soil samples (n = 58) from the relevant periurban sites. The herbicides-analyzed by liquid-chromatography-mass-spectrometry-were detected in >80% of the rain samples at median-to-maximum concentrations of 1.24-67.3 μg·L-1 (GLP) and 0.22-26.9 μg·L-1(ATZ), while aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) was detected at 34% (0.75-7.91 μg·L-1). In soils, GLP was more frequently registered (41%; 102-323 μg·kg-1) followed by ATZ (32%; 7-66 μg·kg-1) and then AMPA (22%; 223-732 μg·kg-1).
If it's in the air, it's in the rain. If it's in the rain, it's in the surface waters. If it's in the surface waters, it's in the oceans.
Glyphosate persistence in seawater
This study demonstrates glyphosate is moderately persistent in the marine water under low light conditions and is highly persistent in the dark. Little degradation would be expected during flood plumes in the tropics, which could potentially deliver dissolved and sediment-bound glyphosate far from shore.
The point of this post is to make sure that you understand that "eating organic" will not eliminate your exposure to glyphosate or any other "-cide" being used. It is one of the most important steps to take though!
Licensed Naturopathic Physician (NMD) in Arizona
NutritionDetective.com, home of the Love Your Liver program
YouTube - FaceBook - Instagram - Twitter