{"id":200341,"date":"2026-02-02T00:29:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T00:29:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/the-question-isnt-whether-you-excrete-glyphosate-but-how-much-weve-been-measuring-this-popular-herbicide-incorrectly-for-years\/"},"modified":"2026-02-02T00:29:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T00:29:08","slug":"the-question-isnt-whether-you-excrete-glyphosate-but-how-much-weve-been-measuring-this-popular-herbicide-incorrectly-for-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/the-question-isnt-whether-you-excrete-glyphosate-but-how-much-weve-been-measuring-this-popular-herbicide-incorrectly-for-years\/","title":{"rendered":"The Question Isn’t Whether You Excrete Glyphosate, But How Much: We’ve Been Measuring This Popular Herbicide Incorrectly for Years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

Understanding Glyphosate: A Widespread Herbicide<\/h2>\n

In your everyday foods, like wheat macaroni, lentils, and even beer, residues of glyphosate\u2014a widely used herbicide\u2014can often be found. Glyphosate is effective in controlling weeds, significantly impacting agricultural practices. However, you can reduce your exposure by avoiding ultra-processed cereals, choosing local products from the EU, or opting for organic alternatives.<\/p>\n

The Shift in Measurement: Feces vs. Urine<\/h2>\n

We Were Measuring Incorrectly<\/strong>. Although the presence of glyphosate in the environment is well-documented and regulated by the European Union<\/a>, measuring its accumulation in our bodies has presented challenges. Traditionally, studies have focused on urine as the primary method of assessment. However, a new international study published in Science Direct<\/a> suggests a shift towards fecal analysis, uncovering more alarming data.<\/p>\n

Feces as a Black Box<\/strong>. The research indicates that feces serve as a more accurate indicator of glyphosate exposure than urine. The findings reveal a far greater level of glyphosate in our systems than previously understood, indicating that prior urine testing represented merely the tip of the iceberg.<\/p>\n

Absorption and Excretion: The Real Story<\/h2>\n

Glyphosate’s behavior in the body is critical for understanding its impact. Due to its low intestinal absorption rate, glyphosate is expelled primarily through feces. In fact, studies show that about 90% of glyphosate is eliminated via feces within 24 hours, while only a small fraction\u2014between 0.5% and 6%\u2014finds its way into urine.<\/p>\n

Why This Matters<\/h3>\n

Accepting urine as the primary monitoring standard results in an underestimation of glyphosate exposure and its associated risks. This underrepresents the health dangers posed, particularly for individuals consuming common dietary products.<\/p>\n

The Broader Impact Beyond Humans<\/h2>\n

Interestingly, glyphosate isn’t limited to human exposure. The study discovered that the herbicide also appears in farm animals, domestic pets, and even wildlife like bats, raising concerns about its presence throughout the food chain. This suggests a need to re-evaluate how we monitor chemical exposures to safeguard public health and ecological integrity.<\/p>\n

Modus Operandi of the Study<\/h2>\n

The recent study utilized fecal samples from 716 humans and 249 animals across 11 countries (10 European and Argentina) in 2021. Advanced testing techniques such as hydrophilic interaction chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS\/MS<\/a>) were employed. Results showed glyphosate in 71% of European samples and 100% of Argentinian samples, which significantly exceeded glyphosate levels detected in urine from the same individuals.<\/p>\n

An Alarming Biological Conclusion<\/h3>\n

The study’s implications are profound. If glyphosate predominantly resides in feces, it suggests prolonged contact with the digestive system, leading to potentially serious health implications. Current safety limits may not reflect true exposure risks, accentuating the need for refined assessment methods.<\/p>\n

Potential Health Risks<\/h2>\n

While glyphosate’s toxicity isn’t high, its cumulative effects could harm our microbiota and result in long-term cellular damage. It may function as a selective antibiotic, disrupting beneficial bacteria while enabling the proliferation of harmful strains. Additionally, glyphosate has been classified as probably carcinogenic to humans and poses potential risks as an endocrine disruptor and oxidative stress inducer.<\/p>\n

In conclusion, this study serves as a wake-up call to reconsider how we approach monitoring glyphosate exposure\u2014and the broader implications for both human health and environmental safety.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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General News – 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Understanding Glyphosate: A Widespread Herbicide In your everyday foods, like wheat macaroni, lentils, and even beer, residues of glyphosate\u2014a widely used herbicide\u2014can often be found. Glyphosate is effective in controlling weeds, significantly impacting agricultural practices. However, you can reduce your exposure by avoiding ultra-processed cereals, choosing local products from the EU, or opting for organic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":200342,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36399],"tags":[48341,42060,48342,3102,11766,17582,4679,4812,10731,45],"class_list":["post-200341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-excrete","tag-glyphosate","tag-herbicide","tag-incorrectly","tag-isnt","tag-measuring","tag-popular","tag-question","tag-weve","tag-years"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=200341"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200341\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":200343,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200341\/revisions\/200343"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/200342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=200341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=200341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=200341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}