Does Berkey Filter Glyphosate?
Yes, Berkey filters addresses glyphosate from water. See the test results below.
See the test results
What is Glyphosate?
Glyphosate is the familiar name for the chemical compound N-phosphonomethyl-glycine or C3H8NO5P. It's a molecule made of hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and phosphorus. Most commonly, it is the active ingredient in the widely used herbicide, Roundup. Glyphosate is effective at controlling weeds and grasses. It inhibits the enzyme, EPSP synthase, which prevents the plant from producing essential growth proteins, therefore causing the plant to perish.
What is Glyphosate Used for?
This chemical is used in agricultural, residential and commercial settings. It is commonly used for the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, and nuts as a way to control invasive, noxious weeds. Glyphosate is also widely used in lawn care, such as for managing weeds in driveways, sidewalks, and yards.
Health Risks Caused by Glyphosate
If directly exposed to glyphosate eyes and/or skin may be irritated. If directly breathed in it may cause irritation to nose and throat. If swallowed it can cause increased saliva, mouth and throat burns, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
According to the EPA there are no risks or concerns to human health from current uses of glyphosate. The studies conducted did not find glyphosate to be a human carcinogen. However, there is some data from other sources that suggests glyphosate is a possible human carcinogen.
The maximum contaminant level for glyphosate is 0.7 mg/L. Although most of the studies show low toxicity with glyphosate it is the other products that are commonly mixed with glyphosate that causes the higher toxicity.
Cancer: Some studies have found that glyphosate is potentially cancerous. Further study is needed for concrete results.
Pets: If your dogs, cats, or other pets are exposed to recently glyphosate sprayed plants they may be susceptible to drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, or sleepiness.
Is Glyphosate in Your Drinking Water?
Glyphosate may be in your drinking water. Especially if where your tap water comes from is located nearby agricultural or industrial land. Residue from products might seep into the water source.
How to Address Glyphosate in Water?
Berkey Filters! Our black Berkey filters are made up of a material so dense that many molecules cannot even pass through it. The filter's media also has adsorption and absorption properties that create an ionic barrier repelling molecules. Read more about how the filter process works. Berkey Filters effectively address toxins such as glyphosate.
It doesn't look like glyphosate is going to stop being used anytime soon. It's extremely effective at creating the desired results for users. The wide prevalence of it indicates that it will take decades, if ever, to not be used.
Don't risk the potentially hazardous adverse effects by washing your fruits, and vegetables in filtered drinking water. Take the initiative to filter your water and protect against harmful toxins by using a Berkey Filters system for your everyday drinking and cooking water. You can also add our fluoride filters to address the fluoride in your tap water.