Legally Reviewed
This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy and clarity by Tort Defenders’ writers and staff and is as accurate as possible. This content should not be taken as legal advice from an attorney.
Many people are aware of the health risks of being exposed to the weedkiller Roundup. Swallowing or inhaling even a small amount of Roundup can cause a range of serious health effects, including mouth burns, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, as well as eye, skin, nose, and throat irritation.
However, you don’t necessarily need to inhale or swallow Roundup for it to affect your health. Unfortunately, Roundup’s active ingredient can remain in soil for up to six months, depending on the climate and type of soil. This can harm crops’ health and potentially lead to chemical contamination of nearby surface water.
Exposure to herbicides like Roundup has been linked to a number of long-term health problems, including cancer, liver and kidney damage, and reproductive issues. You can help protect yourself by understanding how long Roundup and its active ingredient remain active in the soil.
How Long Does Glyphosate Stay in the Soil?
Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is the most commonly used herbicide in the world. It’s a broad-spectrum herbicide that stops plants from producing the proteins they need to grow. It’s a non-selective herbicide, so it will kill most types of plants.
Glyphosate has a very high soil-binding potential relative to other herbicides, which means it binds tightly with most types of soil. This helps limit its environmental mobility, though it can reach groundwater and surface water through processes like runoff and vertical transport. It can also reach surface water through direct application if it’s used to control aquatic weeds.
According to the National Pesticide Information Center, the half-life of glyphosate in soil can range from 2 to 197 days, with a typical field half-life of about 47 days, although this can vary depending on soil type and climate conditions.
How Long Is Roundup Toxic to Humans?
Contact with glyphosate can cause a number of immediate health effects, including eye, skin, nose, and throat irritation. It’s recommended that you should wait at least 24 hours before walking barefoot in any area where any weedkiller was applied. However, glyphosate exposure can have lingering health effects that may be less obvious to the naked eye.
Researchers have found that glyphosate can be harmful to humans as it breaks down in our bodies. Studies have shown that higher levels of glyphosate residue and glyphosate AMPA (a degradation by-product of glyphosate) in urine during childhood and adolescence correlate with an increased risk of liver inflammation and metabolic disorders during young adulthood.
There’s also evidence that Roundup exposure can have multigenerational effects in humans. Studies have also shown that Roundup can interfere with hormone production. In pregnant people, this can potentially increase the risk of problems like abnormal fetal development and low birth weight.
Additionally, Roundup exposure has been associated with an increased risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Though some health agencies offer differing opinions of the cancer risks associated with Roundup, the most common cancers named in Roundup lawsuits are variants of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, including B-cell lymphoma, lymphocytic leukemia, and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
Since 2016, numerous plaintiffs have won compensation from the makers of Roundup. If you’ve developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma or a related type of cancer as a result of exposure to glyphosate herbicide, you may be eligible to file a Roundup claim, but it’s important to make sure you have the right team of lawyers in your corner.
Does Roundup Kill Grass?
Because it’s a non-selective herbicide, Roundup will kill almost any plant it comes into contact with. Unfortunately, this includes your prize grass. Monsanto even released a glyphosate-free formulation called Roundup for Lawns to help combat this problem.
To prevent unintended lawn death, you should avoid using traditional Roundup on your grass. If you’ve accidentally sprayed your lawn with glyphosate, it’s important to remove any dead patches of grass before weeds can grow in their place. Then, you’ll need to re-sod or re-seed the areas. The process you’ll use will vary depending on the type of grass you have.
Does Roundup Kill Trees?
As a broad-spectrum herbicide, Roundup can kill an entire plant down to its roots when applied directly, including trees. This makes it highly effective in eliminating unwanted weeds, but also poses a risk to surrounding plants that may not be intended targets.
In many cases, plants can soak up Roundup from previous applications and not show any signs of herbicide damage until the next leafing season, as symptoms tend not to show during fall dormancy.
Common signs of herbicide damage in plants include stunted growth and leaves that are small, misshapen, or discolored. You can help reduce the risk of herbicide damage by opting for non-chemical forms of weed control for your garden, such as vinegar, steam, and boiling water.
Unfortunately, Roundup can still have lingering effects on trees and other plants, even if it isn’t directly applied. Studies have shown that glyphosate can remain in forest plant tissues for up to 12 years, with concentrations persisting longer in colder biogeoclimatic (BEC) zones.
Does Roundup Expire?
Concentrated Roundup has a listed shelf life of about eight years when stored in its original container, while the pre-diluted or ready-to-use version is advertised with a shelf-life of four years. It can be difficult to estimate how long Roundup will last once it’s opened, but it can be helpful to test the product on a small patch of weeds before treating the entire planned area.
When stored, Roundup is generally resistant to temperature fluctuations, although it shouldn’t be stored in areas exposed to excessive heat or cold. Once Roundup reaches its expiration date, you can expect it to start gradually losing strength, although it might retain some effectiveness over time.
If you use expired Roundup on your lawn, it will likely be less effective at eliminating weeds, though you shouldn’t expect any unusual effects. Keep in mind that exposure to expired Roundup products can be harmful to humans, even as they begin to lose potency, and all herbicides should be handled with care regardless of age.
Additionally, it’s important to dispose of Roundup properly if you don’t plan on using it. You should first check with your local waste management, health, or environmental department to see if your community has any pesticide disposal programs in place. If so, you’ll likely need to bring your unwanted Roundup to a local hazardous waste facility, where you may be asked to fill out a form.
Long-Term Effects of Roundup on Soil
Because of glyphosate’s ability to bind with soil, Roundup can have notable long-term impacts on the soil where it’s applied, and any plants that may grow there in the future.
In some perennial plants, the effects of glyphosate can take up to a year after exposure to appear and may continue impacting the plant’s health for two or more years.
Glyphosate blocks plants from producing essential amino acids that help support immunity. As a result, chronic glyphosate exposure can leave plants more susceptible to attack by soil-borne pathogens and diseases like blight. Additionally, excessive glyphosate application can adversely impact the overall health and vigor of plants, hindering their ability to process vital nutrients.
The Dangers of Surface Runoff
Surface runoff occurs when rainwater flows over land and forms channels, which eventually lead to larger bodies of water like rivers, streams, creeks, lakes, ponds, or oceans. It more commonly occurs at times when soil becomes saturated and can’t absorb more water, such as during periods of heavy rain or snow thaw.
While surface runoff is an important part of the water cycle, it can also lead to the spread of pollutants like those found in Roundup. Evidence has shown that glyphosate can run off of fields where Roundup is used, being absorbed by plants and potentially spreading into nearby groundwater and surface water.
Unfortunately, the dangers of polluted surface runoff aren’t limited to chemicals found in Roundup. Other harmful substances, such as the cancer-causing PFAS used in aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), have been known to run off and contaminate adjacent surface water supplies.
Runoff pollution can pose a significant risk to public health and local ecosystems. Combating runoff pollution is an ongoing effort that everyone can help support. Individuals can take several steps to minimize the risk of runoff contamination in their communities, including:
- Drive less frequently when possible.
- Recycle used vehicle fluids, such as oil and antifreeze.
- Don’t wash your car on the street or in your driveway.
- Avoid using fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides/
- Reduce or eliminate your lawn/
- Pick up after your pets.
At the government level, regulators can help by establishing strict runoff guidelines for new developments and implementing new runoff management plans for existing developments, with the goal of identifying opportunities to reduce pollutants. Additionally, educators can help by conducting projects or implementing lesson plans that focus on combating water pollution