For Dr Michelle Perro, concerns about glyphosate begin with the children she has treated.
When US integrative pediatrician Dr Michelle Perro sat down with Paul Brennan on Reality Check Radio recently, the discussion touched on many of the same questions No More Glyphosate NZ has been exploring through its reporting on glyphosate exposure, gut health, biomonitoring, hormone disruption, and children’s health.
Over the course of the interview, Perro drew on nearly 45 years of clinical experience to discuss rising rates of chronic illness in children, pesticide exposure, gut health, and the role of modern food systems. She also questioned what she sees as a growing disconnect between regulatory assurances and the health problems appearing in clinics.
Some readers will agree with everything she says. Others will strongly disagree.
But regardless of where you stand, one thing stood out throughout the interview: the questions she believes are not being asked often enough.
What Dr Michelle Perro Told Reality Check Radio
Dr Michelle Perro recently joined Paul Brennan on Reality Check Radio to discuss glyphosate, GMOs, children’s health, gut health, and the future of food systems. This article highlights some of the key themes raised during that conversation.
Readers who would like to hear the full interview can listen to it here:
https://rcr.media/episodes/michelle-perro-veteran-us-paediatrician-gmo-deregulation-could-trigger-long-term-health-crisis
Why Dr Michelle Perro Became Concerned About Glyphosate and Children’s Health
One of the recurring themes in the interview was Perro’s observation that many of the health challenges she sees today were far less common when she began practising medicine decades ago.
She described noticing patterns among children with autism, ADHD, gastrointestinal disorders, allergies, sleep disturbances, chronic infections, and other complex health conditions. While she does not attribute every illness to glyphosate or GMOs, she argues that environmental exposures deserve far greater attention than they currently receive.
Whether or not one agrees with her conclusions, history offers many examples where front-line observations preceded broader scientific or regulatory recognition.
Doctors raised concerns about smoking before tobacco companies acknowledged the risks. Workers noticed the effects of asbestos before regulations caught up. Communities reported contamination from chemicals such as PFAS long before many regulators acted.
Clinical observations are not proof. But they are often where important questions begin.
Why Isn’t Glyphosate Included in More Biomonitoring Studies?
One part of the interview was particularly relevant for New Zealand.
Perro pointed to biomonitoring studies overseas showing widespread glyphosate exposure and questioned why testing programmes often overlook the herbicide despite its extensive use.
That observation echoes a question already being asked here.
Between 2015 and 2017, New Zealand conducted a major biomonitoring study involving approximately 500 school-aged children. The study examined exposure to a range of environmental contaminants.
Glyphosate was not among them. This issue is particularly relevant given the ongoing challenges surrounding glyphosate biomonitoring in New Zealand, including the limited availability of testing and the lack of routine population-level exposure monitoring.
There may be technical, budgetary, or scientific reasons for that decision. But given that glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in New Zealand, it is reasonable to ask whether future biomonitoring programmes should include it.
After all, if we are confident exposure levels are safe, shouldn’t we first know what those exposure levels actually are?
Can Multiple Pesticide Exposures Affect Human Health?
Another issue Perro raised was something increasingly discussed within environmental health research: people are not exposed to one chemical at a time.
It is a question No More Glyphosate NZ has explored previously through articles examining cumulative exposure, acceptable daily intake thresholds, and the challenges of assessing chemicals individually when real-world exposures often occur in mixtures.
Food may contain residues from multiple pesticides.
Water may contain multiple contaminants.
Consumers encounter chemicals through food, air, soil, household products, and public spaces.
Regulatory systems typically evaluate chemicals individually. That approach makes practical sense from a regulatory perspective, but it leaves a lingering question:
How well do we understand the combined effects of multiple low-level exposures over decades?
This is not a glyphosate-only question.
It applies to pesticide regulation more broadly.
Glyphosate, Gut Health, and the Human Microbiome
Throughout the interview, Perro repeatedly returned to the relationship between glyphosate and gut health.
Regular readers may recognise this theme. No More Glyphosate NZ has previously examined emerging research into glyphosate, the gut microbiome, digestive health, and the possibility that disruption to beneficial microbes may have wider implications for immune and metabolic health.
This area remains heavily debated, but it is also one of the most actively researched.
Scientists have increasingly focused on the human microbiome — the complex ecosystem of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that live within the digestive system. Research continues to explore how changes to these microbial communities may influence immune function, metabolism, inflammation, neurological development, and overall health.
Perro’s argument is that chemicals designed to affect biological systems outside the body may also influence biological systems inside the body.
Whether that hypothesis ultimately proves correct in full, in part, or not at all, it is a question many researchers are now examining.
The important point is that the discussion is far from settled.
Why Parents Are Concerned About Glyphosate Exposure
Perhaps the most striking aspect of the interview was not the science itself.
It was the perspective of a clinician who spends her career dealing with sick children.
Parents are increasingly asking why rates of allergies, digestive disorders, autoimmune conditions, behavioural disorders, and other chronic health challenges appear to be rising.
Regulators often focus on whether a chemical meets established safety thresholds.
Parents tend to ask a different question:
If exposure can be reduced, why wouldn’t we reduce it?
Those are not necessarily the same conversation.
Are Regulators Asking the Right Questions About Glyphosate?
Dr Michelle Perro’s interview is unlikely to change many minds overnight.
Supporters of current regulatory systems will point out that major agencies around the world continue to conclude that glyphosate is safe when used according to approved guidelines.
Critics will point to growing scientific literature, ongoing litigation, emerging research, and concerns raised by clinicians like Perro.
But perhaps the most important takeaway is not whether one person is right or wrong.
It is whether we are asking enough questions.
Are we measuring the chemicals we use most heavily?
Are we tracking exposure levels in children?
Are we studying long-term, real-world exposures rather than individual chemicals in isolation?
And if a growing number of doctors, researchers, parents, and communities continue to raise concerns, are we curious enough to investigate them properly?
Those seem like reasonable questions for any society to ask — regardless of where it stands in the GMO or glyphosate debate.
Suggested Further Reading
These articles explore many of the same themes discussed in the interview, including gut health, chronic disease, endocrine disruption, and the challenges of assessing long-term chemical exposure.
What’s Making Our Children Sick? *[Amazon.com]
Dr Michelle Perro & Vincanne Adams
The book that launched much of Dr Michelle Perro’s public work on children’s health, industrial food systems, GMOs, and pesticide exposure. Drawing on decades of clinical experience, Perro argues that environmental exposures deserve far greater attention in discussions about chronic childhood illness.
Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You’re Eating* [Amazon.com]
Jeffrey Smith
One of the earliest and most influential books questioning the safety testing, regulation, and long-term implications of genetically modified foods. Dr Perro cites this book as a turning point in her own understanding of GMOs and associated pesticides.
The Myths of Safe Pesticides* [Amazon.com]
Andre Leu
Australian regenerative agriculture advocate Andre Leu explores pesticide safety claims, regulatory assumptions, and the emerging science around low-dose exposures. His work focuses heavily on practical farming alternatives and regenerative systems.
*For your convenience, we provide links to Amazon.com. If you choose to purchase through these links, we may receive a small commission — at no additional cost to you. Your support helps us continue our work.
Glyphosate-Based Herbicides and Health
Dr Michael Antoniou
Molecular geneticist Michael Antoniou has published extensively on glyphosate-based herbicides, including research examining low-dose effects, liver disease, endocrine disruption, and toxicological assessment methods.
The Monsanto Papers: Deadly Secrets, Corporate Corruption, and One Man’s Search for Justice [Our Review]
Carey Gillam
Investigative journalist Carey Gillam examines the legal battles surrounding glyphosate and the release of internal Monsanto documents that became known as the Monsanto Papers. The book explores allegations of corporate influence, scientific disputes, regulatory decision-making, and the broader controversy surrounding glyphosate safety assessments.
The Monsanto Papers Archive
US Court Documents and Investigative Reporting
The Monsanto Papers revealed internal company communications relating to glyphosate safety assessments, scientific publications, and regulatory interactions. They remain one of the most widely cited collections of documents in discussions about glyphosate regulation and transparency.
No More Glyphosate NZ
Related Articles
- Glyphosate and Hormone Disruption: What We Know So Far
- Glyphosate and Metabolic Dysfunction — What the Science Is Telling Us
- Why Glyphosate Isn’t Just a Weed Killer — It’s a Public Health Issue
- Missing Microbes: Could Glyphosate Be Disrupting Infant Gut Health?
- The Missing Piece in the Glyphosate Debate: Your Gut Microbiome
These articles explore many of the same themes discussed in the interview, including gut health, chronic disease, endocrine disruption, and the challenges of assessing long-term chemical exposure.
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