Children are likely to be exposed to the weed killer glyphosate in playgrounds across the UK, campaigners have said after testing playgrounds in London and local counties.
the Global Health Organization The company has listed glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen since 2015. However, campaigners say UK local authorities are still using thousands of liters of herbicides containing glyphosate on public green spaces.
Activists from the UK Pesticide Action Network (Pan) took swabs and soil samples at 13 playing fields in Kent, Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire, Tower Hamlets and Hackney. They found traces of glyphosate or its breakdown product aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in eight of them.
The only area where no trace of the herbicide was found was in Hackney, which went glyphosate-free in public green spaces in 2021.
“It is deeply concerning to find a highly dangerous pesticide such as glyphosate in the same places where our children play,” said Nick Mole of Pan UK. “We all know that young children tend to put their fingers and other objects in their mouths, so finding glyphosate residue on playgrounds, including play equipment like swings and slides, is particularly concerning.”
Controversy over the use of glyphosate has grown in recent years. But the chemical remains licensed for use in public places in the UK, and is routinely applied by councils in parks, playgrounds, cemeteries and pavements.
Cancer is not the only disease linked to glyphosate. Professor Michael Antoniou, a specialist in molecular genetics and toxicology at King’s College London, said: “Our studies have shown that exposure to the herbicide glyphosate is a significant risk factor for developing a range of serious health conditions including fatty liver and kidney disease and, most worryingly, a wide range of cancers including leukemia.”
“Government regulators’ assertion that glyphosate is safe does not stand up to the latest scientific scrutiny, demonstrating that the safe dose of glyphosate is presently unknown. Therefore, all efforts should be made to reduce the use of glyphosate herbicides in both agricultural and urban settings, and eliminate unnecessary routes of exposure, especially for children.”
The Health and Safety Executive is the government agency responsible for pesticides Due to re-examination Permission to use glyphosate this year Campaigners said they expected to start a public consultation on the renewal soon.
Pressure is growing to severely restrict its use. Sian Perry, Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, introduced a private members’ bill calling on councils to ban the use of glyphosate in public places.
“Many councils in cities, towns and villages across the UK have taken a different approach to controlling plant growth, and they are managing streets and playgrounds in ways that work to keep children and nature safe,” Berry told The Guardian. “Councils have many other options than covering our children’s local environment with risks.”
At Victoria Park, the largest park in Tower Hamlets, on Wednesday afternoon, Davina Boza said she was shocked to learn that there could be traces of carcinogenic chemicals on the playground. “This has to be the safest place for them,” she said, looking toward where her young daughter was climbing into the roundabout. “If it’s about my child’s health, it’s very important to me.”
Another mother, who asked to be named Naz Bee, said she felt the use of glyphosate went against what playgrounds should be. “I don’t think this is acceptable,” she said. “The playground is supposed to be about nature and survival.”
As her daughter dug in the soil with a stick to find a missing piece of jewelry, Naz continued: “The children walk around the garden touching the grass and mud…No one wants unnatural visitors.
“We have a lot of products, natural products, we have organic products. We have people who come to the park who are vegan, so I’m sure there are products you can use without using the old chemicals.”