ROUNDUP USE OF GREAT CONCERN

The challenge of herbicide use and toxicity, specifically Roundup, has emerged as a critical question as Rossmoor Mutuals negotiate their next fiveyear landscaping contract. As a retired physician and public health professional, this is of great concern to me.

Choices now include a traditional choice (including Roundup), a mixed choice (no Roundup) and an organic choice. While there has been much discussion about the toxicity of glyphosphate (Roundup’s major component), both at the scientific and policy levels, a scientific consensus has not been achieved as yet. However, the most recent and rigorous study, published in July 2026, “A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Glyphosphate Herbicide Exposure and Risk of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma,” found an “increased risk of NHL in those ever-exposed to and for high levels of exposure to glyphosate.” The higher the exposure, the greater the risk.

The precautionary principle in environmental decision-making suggests that we choose preventive action in the face of uncertainty, and shift the burden of proof to the proponents of its use. This latest study offers strong evidence for glyphosphate’s effects on human health. It is interesting that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), now working with the Department of Health and Human Services, will be releasing its own revised risk assessment of glyphosphate’s possible toxicities, including an updated cancer evaluation, later this year. However, the decision on its use in the Rossmoor Mutuals is ours.