Popular weed remedy may cause brain damage - toxicologists

Extensive use of weed killers can cause serious damage to the brains of our teenagers. Scientists have warned about this.

According to newsweek, weedkillers can remain on our fruits and vegetables and seep into the water, which means that many of us use them in small amounts on a regular basis.

Researchers from the University of California, San Diego and Emory University collected data on 519 adolescents aged 11 to 17 in an agricultural county in Ecuador. After analyzing their urine, the team found that 98 percent of them contained traces of glyphosate - commercially known as Roundup. This herbicide is widely used in the United States. The broadleaf herbicide 2,4-D was also found in 66 percent of the urine samples.

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"The herbicides 2,4-D and glyphosate are widely used in agriculture and forestry, on lawns and gardens, as well as for weed control in industrial areas," commented senior author Jose Ricardo Suarez, associate professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health.

According to him, there are several ways that herbicides can enter the human body - through inhalation, or through eating or drinking. Chemicals can also be absorbed by the skin.

After analyzing the participants' urine, the team assessed the adolescents' cognitive abilities in five key areas: attention and inhibitory control; memory and learning; language; visual-spatial processing; and social perception.

Through this assessment, the team found that people with traces of herbicides in their urine had poorer abilities.

The team also tested the effects of high levels of DEET, an insect repellent, in the participants' urine, but found no significant links.

The chemical compounds, toxicologists say, cause the death of neurons and glial cells by affecting chloride ions in brain cells.

The scientists added that children and adolescents are more susceptible to toxic chemicals, making them more vulnerable.

As a reminder, scientists have warned that gardening and gardening without protective gloves can be deadly.

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