NEW BIOMONITORING DATA
80% of Americans are carrying a probable carcinogen in their body
203 different pesticides detected across America's most popular produce β EWG, 2026
5 min read
Glyphosate, the world's most widely used weedkiller, has been classified by the WHO's cancer research agency as a probable human carcinogen. Here's the part of your kitchen routine that actually removes it.
CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) tested urine samples from 2,310 people across the US. Glyphosate β the active ingredient in the most widely used weedkiller in the country β showed up in more than 80% of them, including roughly 87% of children tested.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) classifies glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen. Independent researchers have linked exposure to increased risk of certain cancers and liver disease, though the EPA maintains current exposure levels are not a risk β a stance a federal appeals court recently ordered it to reconsider.
Glyphosate residue is commonly found on conventionally grown produce, including baby food.
Source: CDC/NHANES data, reported by Reuters (2022)
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) classifies glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen. Independent researchers have linked exposure to increased risk of certain cancers and liver disease, though the EPA maintains current exposure levels are not a risk β a stance a federal appeals court recently ordered it to reconsider.
Glyphosate residue is commonly found on conventionally grown produce, including baby food.
Source: CDC/NHANES data, reported by Reuters (2022)
EWG's 2026 Shopper's Guide analyzed USDA residue data from over 54,000 produce samples across 47 fruits and vegetables. The findings: 75% of conventionally grown produce carried detectable pesticide residue.
The most contaminated group β spinach, kale, strawberries, grapes, and nectarines among them β showed pesticides on 96% of samples, with some items averaging four or more different chemicals per sample. Even items considered "cleaner," like peaches and plums, showed high rates of PFAS-type pesticide residue.
Regulators typically test pesticides one at a time. But in real life, produce carries mixtures of multiple chemicals at once β and researchers note combined exposure can carry more risk than any single pesticide alone.
Source: EWG Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produceβ’, 2026 edition (USDA data)
The most contaminated group β spinach, kale, strawberries, grapes, and nectarines among them β showed pesticides on 96% of samples, with some items averaging four or more different chemicals per sample. Even items considered "cleaner," like peaches and plums, showed high rates of PFAS-type pesticide residue.
Regulators typically test pesticides one at a time. But in real life, produce carries mixtures of multiple chemicals at once β and researchers note combined exposure can carry more risk than any single pesticide alone.
Source: EWG Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produceβ’, 2026 edition (USDA data)
A 2017 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry tested how well a baking soda solution removes pesticide residue from apples, compared to tap water and commercial bleach washes.
The result: a 1% baking soda solution, soaked for 12-15 minutes, fully removed surface residue of two tested pesticides. But one of them β a fungicide that penetrates into the fruit itself β remained detectable in the peel, even after the full soak.
Surface-level washing helps. It just doesn't reach what's already inside.
Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2017
The result: a 1% baking soda solution, soaked for 12-15 minutes, fully removed surface residue of two tested pesticides. But one of them β a fungicide that penetrates into the fruit itself β remained detectable in the peel, even after the full soak.
Surface-level washing helps. It just doesn't reach what's already inside.
Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2017
Published in Mutation Research, this analysis combined data from the Agricultural Health Study cohort with five additional case-control studies to examine high-exposure populations. Researchers found glyphosate-based herbicide exposure was associated with a 41% higher relative risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma among the highest-exposure group.
The review also pointed to supporting evidence from animal studies, where glyphosate exposure was linked to lymphoma development, and to potential mechanisms β including immune system suppression and hormone disruption β that could help explain the association.
Source: Zhang et al., Mutation Research/Reviews in Mutation Research, 2019
The review also pointed to supporting evidence from animal studies, where glyphosate exposure was linked to lymphoma development, and to potential mechanisms β including immune system suppression and hormone disruption β that could help explain the association.
Source: Zhang et al., Mutation Research/Reviews in Mutation Research, 2019
The concern isnβt one piece of fruit. Itβs repeated exposure through the food we eat every day.
Detectable glyphosate has been found in more than 80% of Americans tested, according to CDC biomonitoring data β. And itβs rarely the only residue involved: EWGβs 2026 analysis β found pesticide residues on 96% of tested produce samples.
Itβs already part of everyday exposure
Rinsing helps.
But it has its limits
In a University of Massachusetts study β, a 15-minute baking soda soak removed most surface pesticide residue β yet around 20% of an absorbed pesticide remained inside the peel, beyond the reach of washing.
A plain water rinse removes only 30% of pesticide residue, and that's the best-case scenario for a fast-acting, surface-level chemical. And even more intensive household methods canβt necessarily reach what has moved beyond the surface.
So the limitation isnβt effort. Itβs the method.
It's a systemic herbicide, the plant absorbs it through its roots and leaves, and it travels through the plant's internal tissue. It isn't on the skin, it's inside it.
Why this matters
A meta-analysis of 18 human studies β reported a 41% higher relative risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma among people with the highest lifetime glyphosate exposure compared with those with little or no exposure. Research has also examined glyphosateβs potential effects on the human gut microbiome. Regulators continue to disagree about the overall level of risk.
41
%
relative risk increase, highest vs. lowest lifetime exposure, meta-analysis of 18 studies
So how can we deal with it?
Reach beyond the smooth outer surface
Work without detergents or aggressive chemicals
Address more than one type of contaminant
Preserve the food itself while treating what you donβt want on it
Be simple enough to use every day
We canβt control every step between the farm and the supermarket. But we can control one of the final steps before food reaches us. Simply washing food more often isnβt necessarily the answer. The method matters.
A more effective everyday approach should:
A simple place to start
Add Detoxer to your routine. Itβs designed to make food rinsing more effective without making it more complicated. You place your food in water, add the device, start the cycle, and let it work alongside your usual food-preparation routine.
Active oxygen (ozone) oxidizes contaminants on the surface, then simply reverts back into ordinary oxygen, leaving nothing behind.
Ultrasonic waves create microscopic bubbles in water that collapse and release energy, forcing water into the pores of the produce and dislodging what a rinse alone can't reach.
The idea isnβt to replace fresh food or turn every meal into a complicated βdetoxβ ritual. Itβs simply to improve one step you already take every day: the way you wash your food.
Purification performance tested in an independent Swiss laboratory.
1-year warranty on premium-grade components.
- β UFAG Laboratorien AG, Switzerland
- β Independent lab testing
- β EKO-LAB Consulting, Poland
- β UFAG Laboratorien AG, Switzerland
Customer stories
Produce is still the healthiest thing you can put on your plate. Nothing here is an argument for eating less of it. The more useful question is what happens between the grocery store and the table, and that's the gap Milerd Detoxer was built to close.
American households have already made Milerd part of their routine
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