Complaints around glyphosate, a chemical found in many home and commercial herbicides, are growing like weeds.
The herbicide has long been a target of criticism by the Make America Healthy Again movement lead by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The main concern is it’s a possible carcinogen. Bayer, the company that makes weedkiller Roundup with glyphosphate, proposed a $7.25 billion settlement for tens of thousands of lawsuits linking the chemical to non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Now, a new study from NYU is pointing to another possible troubling effect of the chemical: premature babies.
The study showed that women who had evidence of glyphosate in their bodies at 18-25 weeks of pregnancy (about mid-way through) were more likely to have their babies at least three weeks early.
Preterm birth is a leading cause of illness and death in children under five. Premature babies often need special medical care in the short term (at the newborn intensive care unit, or NICU) but also may encounter health problems down the road in physical development and learning.
At the same time, glyphosate is the most used herbicide in the world. It’s found on crops and in the soil they’re grown in, in products like olive oil, honey, fruits, nuts, cereal, and more.
In the US, crops like soy, corn, and cotton were genetically engineered since the 1990s to to withstand glyphosate, so the weed killer could be used — they’re called “Roundup Ready.”
The result? It’s in our water, and over 80% of people in the US over the age of 6 have glyphosate in their system.
Glyphosate associate with premature births
If there’s a good thing about this chemical, it’s that it’s easily detectable. In this study, expectant moms were tested for glyphosate through their urine.
This new study showed that when moms showed the chemical mid-way through their pregnancy, they were more 37% more likely to have a preterm birth.
Specifically, they were 2 times more likely to have a spontaneous preterm birth, or when the birth is unintentional, unplanned, and early. Often, the cause of spontaneous preterm birth is not known, but it could be because of infection or inflammation.
When not spontaneous, pre-term births are medically indicated, like in the case of a serious medical condition like preeclampsia.
Interestingly, when glyphosphate was detected in mom’s urine early in the pregnancy (before 18 weeks), it wasn’t associated with preterm births.
Researchers also measured AMPA, which is what microbes in the soil make when they break down glyphosate. AMPA in urine at the beginning or middle of pregnancy didn’t have an association with pre-term birth.
This suggests it might only be the unprocessed glyphosate that’s a problem — once microbes break down the chemical, it could be less dangerous to expectant mothers.
Researchers aren’t sure how exactly glyphosate is interacting with moms’ reproductive system. They theorize the chemical could be causing endocrine disruption, oxidative stress, or inflammation.
In February, President Trump issued an executive order ramping up production of phosphorus and glyphosate, saying they are critical to both defense and food security.
Phosphorus is a key ingredient in making glyphosate, but is also used in military “smoke, illumination, and incendiary devices,” the White House said. Plus, it’s necessary for manufacturing semiconductors used in solar cells, radar, and other tech.
After the order, Kennedy fell in line with the president, saying, “I support President Trump’s Executive Order to bring agricultural chemical production back to the United States and end our near-total reliance on adversarial nations.”
