Glyphosate: majority of Germans contaminated

A new study by the German acton group Landwende supported by the organic supermarket chain Basic has shown that the majority of Germans have been contaminated by glyphosate.

Three-quarters of the German population have in fact been contaminated by the controversial herbicide, according to the data. The report analysed glyphosate residue in urine and it concluded that 75% of the target group displayed levels that were five times higher than the legal limit of drinking water. A third of the population even showed levels that were between ten and 42 times higher than what is normally permissible, reports euractiv online.

Glyphosate residue was recorded in 99.6% of the 2,009 people monitored by the study. Worrying results are that the most significant values were found in children aged from zero to nine and adolescents aged 10 to 19, particularly those individuals raised on farms. Meat eaters also displayed higher levels of glyphosate contamination than vegetarians or vegans.

Authorisation for the use of glyphosate can be renewed soon

The European Commission recently called for authorisation for the use of glyphosate to be renewed until 2031. The decision will be revealed these days. Harald Ebner, a genetic engineering and bio-economic policy with the German Greens, warned that “now nearly every single one of us has been contaminated by plant poison, it is clear to me that no new authorisations for 2031 should be issued”.

However, scientific analysis is still ongoing, with studies by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and a joint undertaking by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) still pending. Ebner called upon both the agriculture minister, Christian Schmidt, and the environment minister, Barbara Hendricks, to oppose the Commission.

“The investigation confirmed the findings of the Federal Environment Agency, in regards to the majority of the population having glyphosate residue in their urine,” said retired veterinarian Monika Krüger, who supervised the study. The investigation was the largest of its kind ever carried out.