In recent weeks, there has been an uptick in the conversation about the safety of glyphosate, a common weed killer, used in our food production. Below, [MSU Center for Research on Ingredient Safety] experts answer your top five questions about glyphosate ….
…
Can I eat it?
You should never consume concentrated glyphosate! …. Thankfully you will not find concentrated glyphosate in foods available in grocery stores. However, you will find safe levels of glyphosate residue in some foods. ….The EPA has strict guidelines on the amount of glyphosate residue safely allowed in any food.
Calculating Safety
[The EPA] determines the amount of a substance a person can consume before being impacted by adverse health effects. This is called a “reference dose.”The reference dose is the estimated daily oral exposure to the human population …. that is not likely to cause harmful effects during a lifetime.
Related on the SLP
The reference dose is expressed in units of milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight per day (mg/kg/day). The EPA reference dose for glyphosate is 1.75 mg/kg/day.
That means if a person weights …. 176 lbs they would be able to consume approximately 140 mg of glyphosate every day with no adverse health effects. For a sense of scale, 1mg/kg is [comparable] to 1 minute in 2 years!
Read full, original article: Five Facts about Glyphosate (Weed Killer)
