Glyphosate – the active ingredient in Roundup® – is the most heavily used agricultural chemical in history. It’s widely used to control weeds on farms, schoolyards, golf courses and other public spaces, and many people, not realizing how toxic glyphosate truly is for both humans and pets, even apply it to their yards.
The use of glyphosate continues to rise exponentially. As of 2016, its use in certain states, especially the Midwest, had risen to about 80 times greater than in 1992. The glyphosate market is predicted to potentially double by 2021.
The only way to determine to what degree your diet or environment is exposing you to this toxic contaminant is to get tested. More than 70% of Americans now have detectable levels of glyphosate in their bodies.
Not all glyphosate tests are reliable or meaningful. When choosing a test, be sure the lab measures the breakdown product AMPA in addition to glyphosate and that the results are delivered in an accurate format. Results should be reported in parts per billion (ppb) and not the misleading micrograms/gram of creatinine.
The Health Research Institute (HRI) in Iowa is my preferred lab for testing, as it uses state-of-the art mass spectroscopy and deliver accurate, meaningful results, unlike other labs I’ve tried.
I believe the test from HRI is the most sensitive and most affordable screen for glyphosate available in North America. It also screens for AMPA, the main metabolite of glyphosate, at no extra cost. This is important because it is necessary to take both glyphosate and AMPA into account to more fully assess your exposure to glyphosate.
You have a choice of two tests from HRI to determine your environmental exposure to glyphosate: the Glyphosate Urine Test which reveals the amount of glyphosate you’ve been exposed to in the past two to three weeks, and the Glyphosate Hair Test showing accumulated exposure over the past three to four months. We’re offering both for your convenience.
Both tests are part of the HRI Glyphosate Environmental Exposure Study, a crowd-sourced research project to learn more about the extent of glyphosate exposure. By participating in the study, you will:
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Contribute valuable information to help HRI better understand the extent of glyphosate exposure and contamination
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Learn your own exposure to glyphosate using a simple non-invasive urine test
Ordering the Glyphosate Urine Test automatically allows you to participate in the study. By returning your sample and completing the questionnaire, you’ll receive valuable clues about your environmental exposure and help HRI in their study.
The Glyphosate Urine Test Kit provides a container for you to provide your urine sample, postage-paid packaging to return your sample for analysis and a link to the online study. In a few weeks, you will receive information on how your exposure compares with others and what to do to help reduce your exposure.
If you live in the U.S. (Alaska and Hawaii included), your return postage is paid. If mailing outside the U.S., you will need to pay your own return postage.