Dose Makes Poison Chart, Corrected

Citizens Oversight (2016-04-27) Ray Lutz

This Page: https://copswiki.org/Common/M1653

Background

There is a "dose makes poison" chart which circulates on the internet. It uses a typical Monsanto sleight of hand, in that it equates Roundup with Glyphosate. The truth is other "inert" ingredients of Roundup are not toxic to plants but are very toxic to humans. The misleading chart can be found here: https://camiryan.com/2014/03/05/the-dose-makes-the-poison/

Corrected Chart

We have looked carefully for data on the relative toxicity of Roundup and Glyphosate and the other ingredients but there are very few analyses of this. Plus, there is the complicating factor that the inert ingredients are not controlled. Glyphosate is typically about 41% of Roundup, but varies. No one uses glyphosate alone. We added the column which is the source and how it was tested. We confirmed most of these at the chart on wikipedia, those are marked 1, 1A, or 1B. If they were changed it is 1A or 1B. If no reference was found yet, it is marked [2]. Those marked [3] are added from listed source.

What we find is that ROUNDUP should be considered "extremely toxic" if consumed directly using the same categories as this chart, and additive POEA should be considered "super-toxic". I am open to other sources of data on Roundup and these ingredients.

Material	What the heck is it?	LD50 (mg/kg)*	Toxic Category	Ref
water	You know this one. In normal quantities, most animals require water to live.	>90000	nontoxic	[1]
sucrose	table sugar. Refined sugar cane or sugar beets	29,700	practically nontoxic	[1A]
ascorbic acid	chemical in citrus fruits (lemons, oranges, etc.) Vitamin C	11900	slightly toxic	[1A]
ethanol	grain alcohol (component in many bevvies) -- In 2014, 9,967 People Died In Drunk Driving Crashes - One Every 53 Minutes - And 290,000 Were Injured In Drunk Driving Crashes	7060	slightly toxic	[1A]
glyphosate	the "active ingredient" in broad-spectrum herbicides like Roundup (we dispute this number)	5600	slightly toxic	[2]
sodium bicarbonate	Baking soda	4220	moderately toxic	[5]
ammonium sulfate	many farmers use ammonium sulfate in their tanks with roundup.	3960 avg	moderately toxic	[4]
sodium chloride	Table salt	3000	moderately toxic	[1]
acetaminophen	Pain medication	1944	moderately toxic	[2]
theobromine	bitter alkaloid of the cacao plant in Chocolate	1265	moderately toxic	[2]
hydrogen peroxide	Household use or for drinking and waste water treatment	934 (was 1580)	moderately toxic	[6]
glyphosate (acid)	the "active ingredient" in broad-spectrum herbicides like Roundup	930	very toxic	[3]
glyphosate (salt)	the "active ingredient" in broad-spectrum herbicides like Roundup	780	very toxic	[3]
arsenic	metallic arsenic	763	very toxic	[1]
AMPA	breakdown product of glyphosate	690	very toxic	[3]
rotenone	A broad-spectrum insecticide and pesticide approved for use in organic production	132-1500	very toxic	[2]
copper sulfate	Approved for use in organic production as a fungicide	300	very toxic	[7]
caffeine	One cup of coffee has approximately 95mg, a 200 lb person would require 400 cups of coffee to reach this level.	192	very toxic	[8]
DDT	Insecticide used in WWII to control malaria and typhus, but banned because it does not easily breakdown in the environment	113-800	very toxic	[2]
Nicotine	A potent alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants (Solanaceae) and a stimulant drug and a major contributing factor to the dependence-forming properties of tobacco smoking	6.5-13 (was 50)	extremely toxic	[1B]
Roundup	Entire formulation	9.7-12.9	extremely toxic	[3]
cyanide	Cyanides are produced by certain bacteria, fungi, and algae and are found in a number of plants - used in mining, industrial organic chemistry and for pest control.	10	extremely toxic	[2]
Vitamin D	Beneficial vitamin but can be toxic if a person take megadoses	10	extremely toxic	[2]
POEA	Ingredient in Roundup necessary to get glyphosate to soak into the plant	2.0	super toxic	[3]
strychnine	Colorless, bitter crystalline alkaloid used as a pesticide, particularly for killing small vertebrates like birds and rodents	1-2	super toxic	[1]
aflatoxin B1	Naturally occurring mycotoxins produced by species of fungi. 14 different types of aflatoxin are produced in nature. They can colonize and contaminate grain before harvest or during storage	0.048	super toxic	[1A]
botulin	A protein and neurotoxin produced by a bacterium. In its pure form, it is the most acutely toxic substance known. Preparations of the toxin can be effectively used for therapeutic or cosmetic purposes. (AKA "botox"	0.00001	super toxic	[1]

References

• [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_lethal_dose -- test performed on rat, oral route.
• [1A] same as above but modified from original chart slightly.
• [1B] same source, test performed on human,oral
• [2] source is the original chart, not sure where they got this.
• [3] source is Ecotoxicological risk assessment of Roundup Herbicide, performed on water flea, Daphnia Magna.
• [4] source is http://avogadro.chem.iastate.edu/MSDS/(NH4)2SO4.html -- Oral, rat: LD50 = 2840 mg/kg; Oral, rat: LD50 = 4540 mg/kg; (Avg = 3960)
• [5] confirmed source chart was correct here: http://avogadro.chem.iastate.edu/MSDS/NaHCO3.htm
• [6] modified LD50 based on MSDS here: http://avogadro.chem.iastate.edu/MSDS/H2O2_3pct.htm. Three values were averaged: Oral, rat: LD50 = 1518 mg/kg; Oral, rat: LD50 = 910 mg/kg; Oral, rat: LD50 = 376 mg/kg;
• [7] confirmed from http://avogadro.chem.iastate.edu/MSDS/CuSO4-5H2O.htm for Rat, Oral. Much more toxic for fish.
• [8] confirmed from http://avogadro.chem.iastate.edu/MSDS/caffeine.htm

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