Exposure to weed killer may cause cancer markers in your urine

A recent study from the government of the United States found that people who have been exposed to the herbicide glyphosate are likely to have cancer makers in their urine. 

Published in the Journal of the National Cancer Insititute, the study looked at the urine of American farmers, measuring the levels of glyphosate in their pee and drawing a direct connection to a reaction in the body known as oxidative stress. 

“Oxidative stress is considered by health experts as a key characteristic of carcinogens,” wrote The Telegraph’s Carey Gillam in his analysis of the study. 

Glyphosate is an extremely common weedkiller that is widely used in the United States to help control the overgrowth of unwanted planets that damage crop yields. 

Ten scientists from the National Institutes of Health and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention co-authored the study on the effects of glyphosate on America’s farmer population and drew several startling conclusions. 

Nearly all of the farmers who had been exposed to glyphosate within the previous seven days showed signs of cancer markers in their urine. 

“Among farmers reporting recent glyphosate use (last 7 days), use in the previous day was also associated with significantly increased 8-OHdG and MDA levels,” the study’s authors wrote. 

“Compared with non-farmers,” the scientists continued, “we observed elevated 8-isoprostane levels among farmers with recent, high past 12-month, or high lifetime glyphosate use.”

“Our findings contribute to the weight of evidence supporting an association between glyphosate exposure and oxidative stress in humans and may inform evaluations of the carcinogenic potential of this herbicide,” concluded the study’s authors. 

The study’s findings come just one year after the CDC reported that glyphosate could be found in more than 80% of urine samples from children and adults across the United States. 

There have been several recent studies within the last decade that have shown the dangers of glyphosate for humans. 

In 2022, a metadata study published in Toxicological Sciences reviewed the toxicity and carcinogenicity of the world’s most popular weed killer and found it to be very dangerous.

“No matter what molecular measurements we undertook,” wrote one of the authors of the study while discussing the topics with the non-profit GMWatch, “they all led to the same conclusion: that is, both glyphosate and Roundup are potential carcinogens.”

Glyphosate—which is commonly sold under the brand name Roundup by the US firm Monsanto—is one of the most heavily used weedkillers in modern human history according to a study published in the National Library of Science. 

“People are exposed to glyphosate by using products made with the chemical and also by eating food and drinking water contaminated with the pesticide,” wrote The Telegraph’s Carey Gillam. 

“Scientists have found glyphosate residues in an array of popular foods and in waterways across the US,” Gillam continued—a worrying sign if glyphosate can indeed increase one's risk of cancer.