CBS News reports that a herbicide linked to cancer is being detected in over 80 per cent of urine samples in the US, including children.
Glyphosate is legally imported and sold in Trinidad and Tobago.
Out of 2,310 urine samples, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which is affiliated with the CDC, found glyphosate in 1,885 specimens.
A third of the samples were from children between the ages of six and 18.
Alexis Temkin, a toxicologist at the Environmental Working Group said children are absorbing the chemical through the food they eat.
“Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the country, yet until now we had very little data on exposure. Children in the US are regularly exposed to this cancer-causing weedkiller through the food they eat virtually every day.”
CBS News reports that glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup. While the EPA previously said glyphosate is “not likely” to cause cancer in humans, the agency was recently ordered to reexamine its findings.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is affiliated with the World Health Organization, considers the chemical to be “probably carcinogenic to humans”.
Roundup owner Bayer maintains its products are safe despite numerous lawsuits claiming otherwise.
Last year, the company said it would remove glyphosate from its residential products beginning in 2023.
