Glyphosate is the main ingredient in pesticides and has attracted much media attention over recent years . Following several high-profile legal cases carcinogenic properties have been highlighted. 

 

Pesticides can cause harmful effects  on our health over an extended period, usually following repeated or continuous exposure even at low levels. Low doses don’t always cause immediate effects, but over time, they can cause very serious illnesses.

Long term pesticide exposure has been linked to the development of Parkinson’s, asthma, respiratory problems, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and cancer, including leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

 

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Vulnerable members of society are particularly susceptible to pesticide exposure, babies, children, those pregnant/nursing mothers, the disabled, those susceptible to chemicals, chronically ill, and the elderly.

 

A child’s ability to cope with pesticide exposure will differ from an adult. The systems that our bodies use to deal with toxins are less developed in children and this can make them less able to cope with these toxic substances than adults.

Children are more likely to spend more time in areas like parks, playgrounds and green spaces and are more likely to sit, lie or play on the ground and come into close contact with freshly applied pesticides.

They also absorb pesticides more easily through their skin, this alongside their relative size and their reduced ability to deal with toxins makes childhood exposure to pesticides and its irreversible damage a major concern.

 

 

The World Health Organization released a statement in 2015 stating that glyphosate was “probably carcinogenic to humans.” 

Since then Governments, local councils, schools, and companies across the world are making a proactive move away from using pesticides.

 

Breast Cancer is the most common cancer in the UK. Pesticides could increase breast cancer risk by acting as carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) causing gene mutations that lead to, or promote cancer.

The insecticide DDT was banned in the UK in 1986, due to various health concerns. Human studies have since shown long-term exposure to DDT increases breast cancer risk