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Answers

Question

I bought Roundup Pro Concentrate 1.67 gallon 48.7 Glyphosate Id like to try an experiment and store in my fridge along with everyday food produce meats etc I regularly eat. Any suggestions?

Submitted by: Steve


Answer

Expert response from Kevin Folta

Professor and Chairman, Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida

Friday, 10/07/2015 13:02

My advice is not based on my years of experience as a scientist—it comes from Grandpa Folta.  My grandfather had the ultimate stockpile of banned and discontinued compounds, sequestered in a basement cabinet and locked with both a padlock and a cable lock.  It was enough to kill every insect and fish in Cook County, Illinois, and soften every eagle egg for generations.  He had chlordane, lindane, heptachlor and a dozen compounds loaded with arsenic.  I only remember these by name because they were forbidden compounds, at the time, lost in a zone between application and disposal.  It was the early 70s, and what you didn’t throw out of your car window you just dumped down the drain.

 

Luckily, grandpa was keenly aware that these were hazardous compounds, and decided that they best were stored safely in our home, rather than in the environment.

 

His message was clear, and applies to your question.  Never put residential herbicides, or any household chemicals, in a food refrigerator.  It is simply bad practice.  While specific chemicals may be relatively benign, it raises the possibility of inadvertent consumption or misuse that could be problematic with some chemicals.  A leaky bottle or drippy spray handle wrecks a lot of valuable veggies.

 

Specific to concentrated Roundup, the formulations are stable at room temperature, so storing them in a dark, cool place makes intuitive sense. Still, you should defer to package instructions.  

 

However, you mention an “experiment.” Without any sense of what you are attempting, it is impossible to provide adequate advice.  Feel free to contact me any time outside of this forum at [email protected]. I’d be interested to hear what you are thinking, and perhaps could lend some ideas (or a mini fridge).

Answer

Expert response from Kevin Folta

Professor and Chairman, Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida

Friday, 10/07/2015 13:02

My advice is not based on my years of experience as a scientist—it comes from Grandpa Folta.  My grandfather had the ultimate stockpile of banned and discontinued compounds, sequestered in a basement cabinet and locked with both a padlock and a cable lock.  It was enough to kill every insect and fish in Cook County, Illinois, and soften every eagle egg for generations.  He had chlordane, lindane, heptachlor and a dozen compounds loaded with arsenic.  I only remember these by name because they were forbidden compounds, at the time, lost in a zone between application and disposal.  It was the early 70s, and what you didn’t throw out of your car window you just dumped down the drain.

 

Luckily, grandpa was keenly aware that these were hazardous compounds, and decided that they best were stored safely in our home, rather than in the environment.

 

His message was clear, and applies to your question.  Never put residential herbicides, or any household chemicals, in a food refrigerator.  It is simply bad practice.  While specific chemicals may be relatively benign, it raises the possibility of inadvertent consumption or misuse that could be problematic with some chemicals.  A leaky bottle or drippy spray handle wrecks a lot of valuable veggies.

 

Specific to concentrated Roundup, the formulations are stable at room temperature, so storing them in a dark, cool place makes intuitive sense. Still, you should defer to package instructions.  

 

However, you mention an “experiment.” Without any sense of what you are attempting, it is impossible to provide adequate advice.  Feel free to contact me any time outside of this forum at [email protected]. I’d be interested to hear what you are thinking, and perhaps could lend some ideas (or a mini fridge).