Got weeds? Use these alternatives to glyphosate

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Why glyphosate is a problem

Glyphosate is a weedkiller first sold as Monsanto’s Roundup® in 1974. It carries serious risks for people, pets and aquatic life. Roundup® contains an additional ingredient which makes it more toxic than glyphosate alone. Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, has been the subject of class-action lawsuits by over 125,000 people since 2015 for failing to warn about cancer risk. A recent large settlement was reached in March 2026 for $7.5 billion.

Plants: Glyphosate is toxic to plants through disruption of the shikimate pathway, which causes plant death due to lack of protein synthesis and growth. Over 48 weed species have developed resistance to glyphosate, some problematic super-weeds. Glyphosate probably leaves plants more susceptible to disease by weakening plant roots and hurting the beneficial bacteria in the soil that plants need to stay healthy.

Aquatic life: it is toxic to aquatic bugs, fish and frogs, causing death, infertility, birth defects, growth problems and damage to organs like the brain, liver and heart.

Mammals/pets: can suffer from problems with reproduction, liver and kidney damage, as well as behavioral problems.

Humans: The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans” based on human and animal studies. Despite independent studies finding a link to non-Hodgkin lymphoma, it has not been labeled as carcinogen by United States and Europe regulatory agencies which rely on industry-funded studies. According to Thurston County’s Department of Public Health, glyphosate is “conservatively rated high in hazard” to humans.

Glyphosate affects the nervous system. In exposed children and fetuses, it is linked to increased risk of autism and developmental delay. Experts in Thurston County warn that areas treated with glyphosate are not safe for a child who might touch the plants then put their hands in their mouth. In Washington state, home use of glyphosate has been linked to an increased risk of premature death from Parkinson’s disease.

How widespread is glyphosate use?

In the 1990s, glyphosate use increased when it was paired with seeds that were genetically modified to tolerate Roundup® exposure. By 2014, the amount of glyphosate sprayed in the U.S. would form more than three-quarters of a pound of the active ingredient on every harvested acre of cropland. Currently, over 90% of corn and 96% of soy crops in the U.S. are grown from genetically modified seed intended for Roundup® administration.

Glyphosate is commonly found in food. It is used on crops like wheat, oats, corn and beans to dry plants faster for earlier harvest. Consumer backlash arose around 2018 after tests found residues of glyphosate in cereals, crackers and ice cream. Fresh vegetables may contain glyphosate if fertilized with manure from chickens whose food contained glyphosate.

King County Parks uses glyphosate only as a last resort, whereas King County Roads and Vashon Parks have eliminated usage. Vashon’s Island Lumber, Ace Hardware and Thriftway do not sell glyphosate-containing products.

Tests for glyphosate in food, hair and urine can be found online. Use only tests with minimum limits of detection of 1 part per billion or lower for urine and 20 PPB or lower for food samples. Tests with higher limits may give a negative result when glyphosate is present.

To avoid foods with glyphosate, buy organic. Avoid using weedkillers with glyphosate.

Safer alternatives

The website gardengreen.org/weeds provides more information on safe alternatives to herbicides, including some how-to videos. Excerpts are below:

Chemical

Concern Weed Prevention Plus® or Preen® Organic Vegetable Garden Weed Preventer (Corn Gluten Meal) before seeds sprout, Bondie BurnOut® (citric acid and olive oil), Vinegar Spray (20% or more acetic acid) — use eye protection.

Mechanical

Black plastic — double layer laid over gravel driveways, boiling water poured on weeds in sidewalk cracks, cover crops (annual clovers, peas, oats, buckwheat, etc.) — plant in the fall, then in spring harvest, dig up or cover with a tarp before they go to seed, flame weeders for patios, paths and emerging weeds, goats and sheep can be hired to eat blackberries, ivy, holly, etc, grow a multi-layered garden, hand-weeding tools. Ask a salesperson for recommendations, hire teenagers to hand weed, mulch — bark, wood chips, other,

Change how you water

Drip irrigation and timer, water deeply but infrequently — for soil at least 4 inches deep.

Jennifer Hrachovec, PharmD, MPH, is a pharmacist and secretary of the Vashon-Maury Community Council. Michael Laurie assisted in the writing of this article.