Glyphosate and applicable environmental guidelines
Herbicide use
Glyphosate (N-phosphonomethyl glycine) is a non-selective, post-emergence herbicide used widely around the world for weed and vegetation control.
This is sold in Australia under brand names including:
- Roundup
- Weedmaster Duo
- Zero.
Glyphosate comes in the free acid form and as various salts:
- isopropylamine
- trimesium
- diphenylamine
- mono-ammonium glyphosate.
Human health-based limits
The principal degradation product of glyphosate is aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA).
Glufosinate (DL-phosphinothricin) is a herbicide with a similar structure to glyphosate and belongs to the same chemical class.
Australian regulators have set human health-based limits and environmental guidelines for glyphosate:
- Australian Drinking Water Guidelines state a guideline value of 1 mg/L for glyphosate in drinking water
- Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority defines glyphosate as the sum of glyphosate and AMPA.
Our accreditations and service to test for Glyphosate
As Australia’s peak measurement body, the National Measurement Institute (NMI) can provide world-class environmental measurement services and solutions. With our state-of-the-art laboratories we can help you meet your regulatory and quality requirements.
We developed a National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accredited sensitive and highly selective method (NR53). This method determines glyphosate. We recommend analysing and reporting on AMPA and glyphosate together for drinking water and environmental samples.
Our testing service
When analysing samples, we:
- fortify them with isotopes of glyphosate and AMPA prior to analysis
- treat with fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl chloride
- analyse them by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS).
The separation is rapid on sub-2 micron particle size columns. We detect this using state-of-the-art MS/MS instruments using isotope dilution calibration with isotopically-labelled analogues.
We use isotopically-labelled internal standards to ensure a high level of precision for a range of sample types. Our method has been validated on:
- typical Australian surface water
- drinking water
- ground water
- soil
- foliage.
Our reporting limits
| Herbicide | Limit of reporting for water (mg/L) | Limit of reporting for soil (mg/kg) | Limit of reporting for foliage (mg/kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glyphosate | 0.01 | 0.05 | 0.5 |
| AMPA | 0.01 | 0.05 | 0.5 |
| Glufosinate | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.5 |
How to request a service from NMI
Read the steps to request an environmental testing and analytical service and how to send samples from in Australia or from overseas.