How long does Glyphosate stay in water?
How long does Glyphosate stay in water?
Glyphosate is a widely used herbicide that is found in products like Round-Up. It’s a dangerous carcinogen found in millions of water supplies, but how long does it stay in these water supplies?
What is Half-Life?
The Half-Life of a compound refers to the amount of time it takes for half of the initial quantity of that compound to decay or be used up. Meaning that only half of the compound remains.
The reason this matters is Glyphosate will eventually reduce on its own, but it’s not as simple as stating a number of days. Compounds like Glyphosate use more complicated math to find how quickly they break down and how that rate changes over time. And it varies for each compound and on environmental conditions.
Half Life of Glyphosate
The half-life of glyphosate in water can vary based on environmental conditions. But it ranges from a few days to 91 days. We can use 45 days to explain the math behind a half-life. The half-life won’t always be 45 days based on factors such as temperature and other compounds in the water.
In 45 days, there will be approximately 50% of the Glyphosate remaining in the water. Then in another 45 days, that number will decrease in half again. Meaning you have 25% of the original total. Then in another 45 days, it will decrease in half again. Resulting in 12.5% of the original amount.
The way that half-life works, the contamination levels will become exponentially small but not fully go away.
What level of Glyphosate is safe in drinking water?
The EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) is 700 ppb (Parts Per Billion). The Maximum Contaminant Level is a standard set by the EPA that is the amount of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water by public water systems.
There are some states that have set their level lower than the EPA, some as low as 500 ppb. Ideally you will have no Glyphosate in your drinking water.
How to know if your water has Glyphosate
While understanding Half-Life does help you understand how long a compound stays in a water supply, it doesn’t provide you with the current amount of Glyphosate in your drinking water.
Because the half-life of Glyphosate is nature is affected by so many other conditions, it’s impossible to know exactly how it will change over time. You also aren’t sure if the source of the contamination is still there.
The only way to know if your water is safe from Glyphosate is to test it.
At Safe Home Test Kits, we have two kits that will test for Glyphosate. One is a DIY option and the other is In-Lab Testing.
DIY Glyphosate Testing: Get results in just 5 minutes. Can measure Glyphosate concentration as low as 200 ppb, which is 500 ppb more sensitive than the EPA guidelines. $29.99
In-Lab Glyphosate Testing: Tested at our EPA-Certified Laboratory with a rigorous Quality Control process, ensuring you get accurate results. $149.95
If you have any questions about choosing a kit, reach out to use at 1-888-932-6699 or email us at info@safehometestkits.com
