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A new research study published in Environmental & Analytical Toxicology found that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, may have played a role in birth defects found in Danish piglets.  The year 2013 had abnormally high percentages of malformed piglets, so a research team from Germany, Denmark, and Egypt examined possible causes of these malformations.  They examined 38 one-day-old malformed piglets, and found that glyphosate residues were found in the lungs, livers, kidneys, brains, gut walls and hearts of the piglets. Researchers concluded that the exposure of pigs to glyphosate may have caused the increase in birth defects observed in piglets because previous studies have found that glyphosate exposure may result in disorders to pregnant animals as well as their offspring.  Even paternal exposure to glyphosate can cause birth defects by altering the sperm cells. Unfortunately, these risks of glyphosate exposure may affect humans as well. The authors state that “the risk of malformation in human embryos is very high when their mothers are contaminated at 2 to 8 weeks of pregnancy.”