What Happens if You Get Roundup on Your Skin?

In recent years, Roundup weedkiller has become highly controversial as different groups debate the safety of this popular herbicide. Indeed, Roundup has been linked to a risk of developing cancer.

Usually what’s discussed is exposure to Roundup through inhalation rather than direct contact. But what happens if you get Roundup on your skin?

To better understand the effects of Roundup, it’s important to understand what it is.

What Is Roundup?

Roundup is an herbicide (weed killer) manufactured by Monsanto, which was purchased by Bayer in a massive deal in 2017, according to Scientific American. Roundup’s active ingredient is glyphosate, a chemical that is at the heart of the debate over Roundup’s safety. Roundup has been used across the country for more than 40 years.

Several organizations consider Roundup to be “probably carcinogenic to humans,” including the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, according to The Lancet. Carcinogenic means capable of causing cancer. Other organizations, like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), classify it as likely non-carcinogenic.

What Are the Side Effects of Roundup?

Exposure to glyphosate-based weed killers like Roundup may increase a person’s cancer risk by 41 percent, according to a study by researchers at the University of Washington.

Is Roundup on Your Skin Harmful?

Skin isn’t something we often think about, but it is the largest organ of the body, and it’s also extremely important to our health. When our skin is exposed to dangerous chemicals, it can cause serious damage.

According to the National Pesticide Information Center, getting Roundup on your skin may result in several adverse side effects. Skin may be exposed to glyphosate when spraying the chemical on crops or weeds without wearing protective gear, or by touching plants sprayed with Roundup soon afterward. Although severe burns or injuries caused by skin absorption of Roundup are rare, exposure to the chemicals in the weed killer may still result in negative side effects. Luckily, glyphosate is not easily absorbed by the skin. Adverse side effects may occur after repeated exposures, or exposure to a large amount of the substance.

Products like Roundup that contain glyphosate may cause skin or eye irritation if they come into contact with the pesticide. Additionally, breathing in the mist or spray from these weed killers may cause a burning or irritation in the nose, mouth, and throat. It may also cause a bad taste in the mouth. If the spray is unintentionally swallowed, it may result in an increase in saliva production, irritation of the esophagus, internal skin burns of the mouth and throat, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

In addition to your own skin, your pets’ skin may also be at risk if they come into contact with glyphosate. Animals who absorb the substance through the skin may seem sleepy, experience a loss of appetite, drool, vomit, or have diarrhea.

Farmers who use glyphosate in the fields should employ prescribed methods of handling agrochemicals, including wearing personal protective equipment. However, after repeated exposure, they may begin to absorb glyphosate into the skin, even with the protective equipment. In less developed countries, where access to such equipment may be difficult or impossible, there’s an even greater risk.

Studies have shown that glyphosate on the skin can affect the cell shape, impair skin elasticity, cause loss of protective function, and even increase vulnerability to disease. Loss of control over cell function can, in turn, contribute to cancer risk.

However, actually getting Roundup on your skin may be far worse than this, since evidence indicates that the pesticide’s contents are much more toxic than glyphosate alone.

A number of cancers and serious side effects have been linked to Roundup exposure, including:

• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Leukemia
• Multiple myeloma
• B-cell lymphoma
• Bone cancer
• Renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer)
• Skin tumors
• Pancreatic islet cell tumors
• Chromosomal damage
• DNA damage
• Other cancers

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is the most common type of cancer linked to Roundup. This cancer originates from white blood cells in the immune system. Because the immune system is spread throughout the body, the cancer may quickly spread from one lymph node to others and even to other organs.

Have Roundup Cancer Lawsuits Been Filed?

A growing number of cancer patients have come forward alleging that their cancer was caused by exposure to Roundup. Two recent high-profile court cases that claimed Roundup led to the plaintiffs developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma ended with verdicts in the plaintiffs’ favor.

In March 2019, a federal jury in California ordered Monsanto and parent company, Bayer, to pay $80 million to a man who developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma from the weed-killer.

Plaintiff Edwin H. reportedly used Roundup on his property for 26 years before being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He took action against Monsanto after learning about the link between his cancer type and glyphosate.

The jury found the weedkiller to be a “substantial factor” in Edwin’s cancer and ruled that Monsanto was liable for his injuries. The $80 million awarded to Edwin by the jury reportedly included $75 million in punitive damages, about $5 million for pain and suffering, and more than $200,000 for medical bills.

Bayer has routinely defended its Roundup products as safe and indicated plans to appeal any judgments against them. The company’s website contains the following statement:

“There is an extensive body of research on glyphosate and Bayer’s glyphosate-based herbicides, including more than 800 rigorous studies submitted to the EPA, and European and other worldwide regulators in connection with the registration process, that confirms that glyphosate-based herbicides can be used safely and that glyphosate is not carcinogenic.”