Kit Roberts
A lawyer who specializes in catastrophic injury and death has spoken out about one particular product that he would always avoid.
Tom Bosworth is a lawyer based in Philadelphia and has years of experience dealing with dangerous products that pose a risk to public health.
There can be any number of potential hazards associated with products we commonly use around the house.
When you think about it, there really is an alarming number of things that could go wrong.
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It could be fire risks, suffocation, causing injury directly, choking, electrocution, or in some cases one of contamination by dangerous chemicals.
And this is the precise kind of product that the lawyer drew attention to as one of the products that he simply would not touch due to the potential risk that it might pose.
So, what is the one product that he won't touch?
Taking to his TikTok channel, Bosworth revealed that it was anything which contained the chemical glyphosate.
"As a catastrophic injury and death lawyer I deal with some of the most dangerous products and some of the worst situations in the world," he said.
"But if you were to ask me what's the one product that I'm most afraid of that I would never go near - it's without a doubt glyphosate."
So what exactly is this?
This is a chemical which is a common ingredient in weedkiller in Australia.
"There has been study after study that demonstrates the link between the weed killer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma," said Bosworth.
"The latency in people can be five, 10, 20 years. You might not get the diagnosis until 20 years after using the product."
He added: "It's a product I'd never touch."
However, experts on the substance have suggested that more research is needed to establish a concrete link between glyphosate and certain types of cancer.
Professor Lin Fritschi is an epidemiologist within the School of Public Health at Curtin University.
"The fact the IARC stated there is 'suggestive evidence' that glyphosate causes cancer means more information is needed on the issue," she said.
Nonetheless, she reiterated the need for clear labeling around the substance.
"For glyphosate, the manufacturers recommend wearing eye protection, a respirator with a replaceable filter, rubber gloves, and cotton overalls buttoned at the neck and wrist," she said.
"A strong message from this is that labeling of pesticides in Australia needs to be improved."
Australia's regulator on pesticide use has approved the substance for use until 2035, citing insufficient evidence for a ban despite several other countries including Vietnam, Austria, Belgium, and France putting restrictions and bans in place.