A number of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides have been linked to both cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Because of their widespread use worldwide, contamination of the groundwater, lakes, rivers, streams, and the atmosphere has now become a major problem.

In addition, some of the now banned pesticides and herbicides continue to linger in our environment.

Another major problem is the use of imported foods and beverages coming from countries in which these dangerous chemicals have not been banned or in which the laws are ignored.

Many of these chemicals become concentrated in the fatty tissue of our bodies. And the brain has the highest fat content of any part of the body.

One of the most abused herbicides in the world is glyphosate, the major ingredient in the product called Roundup. Attention has now been focused on this product because of a $289 million lawsuit based on the evidence that a man’s exposure to glyphosate caused his cancer. Other such lawsuits are now pending.

Researchers have concluded that our exposure to this chemical has increased enormously over the past two decades due to its widespread use in commercial agriculture as well as around private homes and public areas.

Studies estimate that 70 percent of people have this dangerous chemical in their bodies. Use of glyphosate has increased 15-fold over the past quarter century, mainly because of its widespread application on genetically modified (GMO) crops such as soybeans and corn.

While the main ingredient in Roundup, glyphosate, is of the most serious concern, it has been pointed out that the adjuvants mixed with the herbicide are also potential carcinogens and neurotoxins.

Researchers are also concerned that exposure to glyphosate could increase the risk of certain liver disorders, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) — which, in turn, can increase the risk of liver cancer. Studies have shown that individuals with NAFLD have much higher levels of glyphosate in their tissues.

Of tremendous concern is the finding by researchers at Washington State University that health-related problems from exposure to glyphosate can be passed on to the next generation. In fact, these researchers found that pregnant rats exposed to glyphosate transmitted disorders of the prostate, kidneys, and ovaries to several generations of their offspring.

When you combine the harmful effects of glyphosate to the recognized harm from eating GMO foods — including massive breast cancers in females and midlife organ failure in males — this is a major health disaster in the making.