CARCINOGENIC PESTICIDES FOUND AT UK PLAYGROUNDS – 8 out of 13 playgrounds tested had traces of glyphosate
Campaigners from the Pesticide Action Network have been out across London and the Home Counties, taking swabs and soil samples from 13 different playgrounds. Traces of glyphosate—a weedkiller the World Health Organization has labeled a ‘probable carcinogen’—were found in eight of them.
The tests covered areas in Kent, Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire, and Tower Hamlets. The only place that came back completely clear? Hackney—and that’s because they banned the use of the chemical in their green spaces back in 2021. Everywhere else, it seems, councils are still using thousands of litres of the stuff on parks, pavements, and even cemeteries.
Professor Michael Antoniou from King’s College London says his research shows this exposure is a ‘significant risk factor’ for other serious conditions such as fatty liver and kidney disease. The risk of accidental ingestion was also highlighted as children play on the ground and often put their hands in their mouths.
Currently, glyphosate is authorized for use in UK public spaces, but that could be about to change. The Health and Safety Executive is due to re-examine the rules this year, and a public consultation is expected to launch very soon.
Campaigners are calling on the government to follow Hackney’s lead and move toward a glyphosate-free UK. But for now, the advice for parents is simply to be aware of your surroundings.
