March 6, 2023 - Children who are exposed to glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide worldwide, may suffer from liver inflammation and metabolic disorder in early adulthood, according to a new study by a team that includes Public Health Chair and Professor Asa Bradman.

The study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, examined the agricultural use of glyphosate near the homes of mothers during pregnancy and in young children in the Salinas Valley area of California. Researchers also measured glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), a degradation product of glyphosate and amino-polyphosphonates, in their urine, then assessed liver and metabolic health in the children when they were 18 years old.

The research suggests that lifetime exposure to the popular weed killer and AMPA may increase the risks of disease in young adulthood that could lead to liver cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Bradman and researchers from UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco, UC San Diego and the Monterey County Health Department conducted the study.
Source: UC Merced