# I stepped in Round-up weed killer - how to detox?



## aiea (Jan 27, 2007)

Hi,

I sprayed Round-up a week ago in our backyard (we use it once a month, super-sparingly). Yesterday I stepped in a spot that had been sprayed. Didn't think anything of it until it started to tingle, ache, and get stiff. It feels weird, and it's slowly traveled up my right leg and into my hip/back.

I want to do *something* to stop this, but I am breastfeeding. Besides drinking a lot of water, what can I do?

So far I just washed my foot twice with soap & water... then this afternoon I put on a mud pack on foot & leg b/c I have read that clay can be a gentle detox. What kind of clay though?

Thanks so much for reading!


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## mommaklo (Jul 15, 2010)

Im no dr, but I would do bentonite clay. I would be tempted to pump and dump. Also I would call poison control and see how concered they are.


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## aiea (Jan 27, 2007)

I always forget about pump-and-dump... I have never successfully pumped, but I will call a friend to see if she still has hers.

Thanks for the bentonite recommendation. The local health food store does have this, and we'll pick it up tonight.


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## SubliminalDarkness (Sep 9, 2009)

I'd take a shower and not worry about it. If it was me, the likelihood is very high that the symptoms were psychosomatic, because I'm just the type to do something like that. Round-Up is toxic, but it's not really all that damaging topically in small amounts.


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## AllyRae (Dec 10, 2003)

I'm pretty sure that it's not related. You can walk on a round-up spot after like a day. In fact, if you go to parks or any place with a "nice" lawn, you're likely walking on something similar to roundup. I agree with the poster that said that topically, in very small amounts, you likely would not have absorbed much, especially not a week later. Roundup is toxic, but one tiny exposure a week after spraying should not lead to the symptoms you're experiencing...


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## Jayray (Oct 13, 2008)

I also wouldn't really worry, but if you felt like you needed to do something, I've heard that saunas are good for detox. Heard a story about a family that were slowly poisoning themselves by inhaling some insecticide that was left in their garage near the furnace intake. They all had daily sauna treatments and eventually got better.


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## savithny (Oct 23, 2005)

The reason that Roundup is so widely used and so readily available over the counter is that its breakdown time is very fast. It is metabolized by soil microbes, and in fact bonds to them relatively quickly after application. It's not stored in fat by mammals, and the level at which toxicity is seen is, for such a product, very high.

I'm not saying its GOOD, but I wouldn't worry about a passing contact. I'd wash and move on.

http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/dienochlor-glyphosate/glyphosate-ext.html


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## hildare (Jul 6, 2009)

as other posters said, roundup breaks down quite rapidly.

also, i was under the impression that saunas were a no-no while breastfeeding. Don't have sources to back that up at the moment, but I can assure you that you are fine from the roundup.


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## StatedWord (Oct 17, 2012)

Wow! I can't believe a breast-feeding mother is spraying RoudUp! Actually, I find it incomprehensible that anyone would spray that stuff. It contains glyphosate, which has been proven to cause liver and kidney damage. It is is not nearly as quickly bio-degradable as everyone in this thread is saying. Also, if it rains soon after spraying, it can run off into other peoples' yards. How do you know their children aren't stepping in any run-off?

There have been several reliable university studies showing the deliterious affects lawn chemicals have on people, animals and the environment. One notable study showed that children who lived in households that sprayed lawn chemicals had a 6.5 times greater chance of developing leukemia. Why would anyone take that risk and put their children in harm's way? Unbelievable. Also, there are totally safe ways to have a nice yard. I haven't found a weed yet that couldn't be tackled with a weed-whacker.

I have no children myself, but I would never-ever spray any toxic chemical in my yard that a child could possibly walk through.

As for detoxing, calcium bentonite clay is good, as is diatomaceous earth. Activated charcoal is even better. Best of all, is not spraying any toxins in the first place. No toxins, no detox required.


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## rnra (Dec 15, 2011)

Why would you resurrect a two year old thread?


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## IdentityCrisisMama (May 12, 2003)

StatedWorld, this is a 2 year old thread so it is unlikely that the the OP (original poster) is still in need of advice or checking in on this thread. Additionally, the tone of your post is not in keeping with the code of conduct of Mothering.com:



> Mothering aims to be a welcoming environment to discuss subjects pertaining to and surrounding natural family living. We appreciate that members come to our community at different places in their parenting journey and one of our goals is to welcome and educate new members. With that in mind, we expect our members to keep conversations civil and on topic, and uphold the integrity and diversity of the community. We value the honest and supportive exchange of ideas and opinions, and we ask that members avoid negative characterizations and generalizations about others. Examples and calm explanation are more useful than condemnation of ideas that differ from Mothering's philosophies.


Aside from your tone, the content of your post is in keeping with the values of Mothering. We welcome your input. Please edit your post so that it can remain on the thread. Thank you and welcome to MDC.


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