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I am being asked to sign a petition that claims

The residues of glyphosate can stay in the environment for up to 174 days, often breaking down into more toxic substances.

Does glyphosate (a.k.a. Roundup) break down into more toxic substances, in the environment?

Oddthinking
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E Clair
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  • Does "more toxic substances" mean "substances which are more toxic" or "more substances which are also toxic"? – DavePhD Feb 16 '16 at 18:45

1 Answers1

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Glyphosate breaks down to aminomethylphosphonic acid.

Glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid have about the same toxicity according to PESTICIDE RESIDUES IN FOOD - 1997:

AMPA was no more toxic than glyphosate. Similar effects were often found, except for the lesions in the salivary gland seen in the 90-day studies of toxicity and carcinogenicity with glyphosate in mice nad [sic] rats from the US national Toxicology Program and the cataracts induced by glyphosate in a two-year toxicity study in rats. Such effects were not seen in other studies with glyphosate or AMPA.

DavePhD
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