The Impact of Herbicides on Babies: A Closer Look

The rise of genetically modified (GM) crops that withstand herbicides led to a massive increase in glyphosate use across the United States. Over two decades, the amount of glyphosate used surged by over 750%. Though it's a hot topic, the effects of glyphosate on human health are still debated. Scientists combined data on how much glyphosate is used in different counties, when GM crops were introduced, and where these crops thrive best.

Their findings showed that after GM seeds and glyphosate were introduced, babies were born smaller and spent less time in the womb. The impact was seen across all birth weights, but it hit the smallest babies the hardest—the smallest babies were affected 12 times more than the biggest ones. This reveals that the health costs of glyphosate exposure have been unfairly high for rural communities in the US over the past 20 years.

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