Pesticides linked to cancer have been detected in 60 per cent of children’s playgrounds, a new study warns.
Experts from Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK) found residues of the weedkiller glyphosate and its toxic breakdown product – AMPA – across play areas in England.
The charity tested samples of soil and plant material and swabbed children’s play equipment in 13 playgrounds across three English counties and two London boroughs.
They found traces of the pesticide in eight of the 13 – the equivalent of 61.5 per cent – and on common play equipment such as slides and swings.
None of the playgrounds were particularly close to agricultural fields, suggesting the contamination detected is likely to originate from the widespread use of glyphosate by UK councils to remove unwanted plants in public spaces.
‘It is deeply concerning to find a Highly Hazardous Pesticide like glyphosate present in the very places where our children play,’ Nick Mole, from PAN UK, said.
‘UK glyphosate use has skyrocketed in recent years, as has the evidence linking this chemical to serious health conditions.
‘We all know that young children tend to put their fingers and other items in their mouths so finding glyphosate residues in playgrounds, including on play equipment such as swings and slides, is particularly worrying.’
The researchers found traces of the pesticide in eight of the 13 playgrounds and on common play equipment such as slides and swings
Children are more vulnerable than adults to the health impacts of pesticides since their brains and bodies are still in development and less able to cope with toxins.
Glyphosate has been repeatedly linked to a range of chronic diseases, most notably cancer, the researchers warned.
A 2023 study from UC Berkeley School of Public Health found that childhood exposure to glyphosate and AMPA threatens to increase the risk of developing serious disease in later life, such as liver cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
While roughly 45 per cent of UK councils are taking action to end or reduce their pesticide use, the majority continue to use glyphosate in public spaces such as parks and pavements, usually for cosmetic purposes.
Councils reported using a total of 354 tonnes of pesticides in 2024, roughly equivalent to the weight of 23 double decker buses.
According to official data, glyphosate–based products make up 96 per cent of all pesticide active substances applied by local councils.
Professor Michael Antoniou, a specialist in Molecular Genetics and Toxicology at Kings College London, contributed to the research.
He said: ‘Our studies have shown that exposure to glyphosate herbicides is a significant risk factor for the development of a range of serious health conditions, including fatty liver and kidney disease and, most worryingly, a wide range of cancers including leukaemias.
Glyphosate is the world’s most popular weedkiller but it is ‘probably carcinogenic to humans’, according to the WHO (file image)
‘The assertion by government regulators that glyphosate is ‘safe’ does not stand up to latest scientific scrutiny, which shows that a ‘safe’ dose of glyphosate is, at present, unknown.
‘Thus, all efforts should be made to reduce glyphosate herbicide use in both agricultural and urban settings, and to eliminate unnecessary routes of exposure, especially for children.’
The areas tested as part of the study include playgrounds in Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Kent, and Hackney and Tower Hamlets in London.
Hackney was the only location where neither glyphosate nor its breakdown product – AMPA – were found.
Hackney Council went pesticide–free in all its parks and green spaces and on housing estates in 2021. They have also introduced a range of other measures which have significantly decreased the amount of pesticides used in other settings across the borough.
PAN UK is urging all UK councils to adopt its tried and tested ‘three–year phase out plan’ to join the fifty UK councils that have already gone pesticide–free.
