Baby Safety / Compounds / Glyphosate ammonium salt

Is Glyphosate ammonium salt safe for babies and kids?

Context-dependent for kids

Infants face elevated risk from Glyphosate ammonium salt through dietary residues and environmental drift. Developing organ systems and immature detoxification capacity increase vulnerability.

What is glyphosate ammonium salt?

Glyphosate ammonium salt is a herbicide, organophosphorus compound, salt.

The IUPAC name is azanium;2-(phosphonatomethylamino)acetate.

Also known as: azanium;2-(phosphonatomethylamino)acetate, Glyphosate monoammonium salt, Ammonium glyphosate, Glyphosate-ammonium.

IUPAC name
azanium;2-(phosphonatomethylamino)acetate
CAS number
114370-14-8
Molecular formula
C3H11N2O5P
Molecular weight
186.1 g/mol
SMILES
CC(C12CC(=C3C4(C1N(CC4)CC5C2O5)C6=CC=CC=C6N3)C(=O)OC)O
PubChem CID
443358

Risk for babies

Context-dependent

Infants face elevated risk from Glyphosate ammonium salt through dietary residues and environmental drift. Developing organ systems and immature detoxification capacity increase vulnerability.

Neonates and infants up to 12 months have incomplete blood-brain barrier development, immature Phase I/II metabolic enzymes (particularly CYP3A4, UGT1A1), and higher gastrointestinal permeability. Equivalent doses produce higher internal concentrations and longer residence times.

What to do: Minimize infant exposure through source control. For breastfeeding mothers: reduce maternal exposure. For formula-fed infants: use certified low-migration bottles and verified water sources. Consult pediatrician regarding any concerns.

Risk for pregnant and nursing people

Context-dependent

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Glyphosate ammonium salt.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Eye Irritation: Category 6.4A (Category 2A) (score: high)

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where kids encounter glyphosate ammonium salt

  • Agricultural Herbicide — Various generic formulations
    Less common in consumer products

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Glyphosate ammonium salt:

  • Mechanical weeding; Cover cropping; Organic mulch; Flame weeding
    Trade-offs: Labor-intensive; effective for small-scale or precision applications; no chemical residues; not scalable to large commercial operations without significant cost increase.
    Relative cost: 2-5× conventional

Frequently asked questions

Is glyphosate ammonium salt safe for kids?

Infants face elevated risk from Glyphosate ammonium salt through dietary residues and environmental drift. Developing organ systems and immature detoxification capacity increase vulnerability.

What products contain glyphosate ammonium salt?

Glyphosate ammonium salt appears in: Various generic formulations (agricultural herbicide).

What should I do if my child is exposed to glyphosate ammonium salt?

Minimize infant exposure through source control. For breastfeeding mothers: reduce maternal exposure. For formula-fed infants: use certified low-migration bottles and verified water sources. Consult pediatrician regarding any concerns.

See Glyphosate ammonium salt in the baby app

Look up products containing glyphosate ammonium salt, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in baby View raw API data

Sources (1)
  1. Glyphosate ammonium salt - PubChem Compound Summary — pubchem

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →