Low-dose glyphosate exposure poses significant long-term health risks to humans.
the verdict
CONTESTED
contested - evenly split
refutedsupported
the weight of evidence
10 sources for · 3 against
Scientific literature and regulatory evaluations are deeply divided on the health risks of low-dose glyphosate exposure. While independent research and international agencies like the IARC associate chronic exposure with potential carcinogenic, renal, and organ toxicities, major regulatory bodies and reviews maintain that actual exposure levels remain within safe margins and show no significant health risks under normal use.
The broad-spectrum herbicide glyphosate (common trade name "Roundup") was first sold to farmers in 1974. Since the late 1970s, the volume of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) applied has increased approximately 100-fold. Further increases in the volume applied are likely due to more and higher rates of application in response to the widespread emergence of glyphosate-resistant weeds and new, pre-harvest, dessicant use patterns. GBHs were developed to replace or reduce reliance on herbicides causing well-documented problems associated with drift and crop damage, slipping efficacy, and human health risks. Initial industry toxicity testing suggested that GBHs posed relatively low risks to non-target species, including mammals, leading regulatory authorities worldwide to set high acceptable exposure limits. To accommodate changes in GBH use patterns associated with genetically engineered, herbicide-tolerant crops, regulators have dramatically increased tolerance levels in maize, oilseed (soybeans and canola), and alfalfa crops and related livestock feeds. Animal and epidemiology studies published in the last decade, however, point to the need for a fresh look at glyphosate toxicity. Furthermore, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer recently concluded that glyphosate is "probably carcinogenic to humans." In response to changing GBH use patterns and advances in scientific understanding of their potential hazards, we have produced a Statement of Concern drawing on emerging science relevant to the safety of GBHs. Our Statement of Concern considers current published literature describing GBH uses, mechanisms of action, toxicity in laboratory animals, and epidemiological studies. It also examines the derivation of current human safety standards. We conclude that: (1) GBHs are the most heavily applied herbicide in the world and usage continues to rise; (2) Worldwide, GBHs often contaminate drinking water sources, precipitation, and air, especially in agricultural regions; (3) The half-life of glyphosate in water and soil is longer than previously recognized; (4) Glyphosate and its metabolites are widely present in the global soybean supply; (5) Human exposures to GBHs are rising; (6) Glyphosate is now authoritatively classified as a probable human carcinogen; (7) Regulatory estimates of tolerable daily intakes for glyphosate in the United States and European Union are based on outdated science. We offer a series of recommendations related to the need for new investments in epidemiological studies, biomonitoring, and toxicology studies that draw on the principles of endocrinology to determine whether the effects of GBHs are due to endocrine disrupting activities. We suggest that common commercial formulations of GBHs should be prioritized for inclusion in government-led toxicology testing programs such as the U.S. National Toxicology Program, as well as for biomonitoring as conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since its commercial introduction in 1974, glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine] has become the dominant herbicide worldwide. There are several reasons for its success. Glyphosate is a highly effective broad-spectrum herbicide, yet it is very toxicologically and environmentally safe. Glyphosate translocates well, and its action is slow enough to take advantage of this. Glyphosate is the only herbicide that targets 5-enolpyruvyl-shikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS), so there are no competing herbicide analogs or classes. Since glyphosate became a generic compound, its cost has dropped dramatically. Perhaps the most important aspect of the success of glyphosate has been the introduction of transgenic, glyphosate-resistant crops in 1996. Almost 90% of all transgenic crops grown worldwide are glyphosate resistant, and the adoption of these crops is increasing at a steady pace. Glyphosate/glyphosate-resistant crop weed management offers significant environmental and other benefits over the technologies that it replaces. The use of this virtually ideal herbicide is now being threatened by the evolution of glyphosate-resistant weeds. Adoption of resistance management practices will be required to maintain the benefits of glyphosate technologies for future generations.
This paper describes results from a systematic review and a series of meta-analyses of nearly three decades worth of epidemiologic research on the relationship between non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and occupational exposure to agricultural pesticide active ingredients and chemical groups. Estimates of associations of NHL with 21 pesticide chemical groups and 80 active ingredients were extracted from 44 papers, all of which reported results from analyses of studies conducted in high-income countries. Random effects meta-analyses showed that phenoxy herbicides, carbamate insecticides, organophosphorus insecticides and the active ingredient lindane, an organochlorine insecticide, were positively associated with NHL. In a handful of papers, associations between pesticides and NHL subtypes were reported; B cell lymphoma was positively associated with phenoxy herbicides and the organophosphorus herbicide glyphosate. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was positively associated with phenoxy herbicide exposure. Despite compelling evidence that NHL is associated with certain chemicals, this review indicates the need for investigations of a larger variety of pesticides in more geographic areas, especially in low- and middle-income countries, which, despite producing a large portion of the world's agriculture, were missing in the literature that were reviewed.
Glyphosate-based herbicides are among the most used pesticides worldwide. Reviews on the safety of glyphosate have been conducted by several regulatory agencies and researches centers, many times with contradictory results. This study is a systematic meta-analytical review of experimental studies on the relationship between exposure to the glyphosate (GLY) and its formulations with the formation of micronuclei (MN) to establish a quantitative estimate of the environmental risks. The natural logarithm (ln) of the estimated response ratio was calculated from 81 experiments. A meta-analysis was performed on the complete data set, and individual meta-analyses were conducted after stratification by test system, class of vertebrate, exposure route, gender, endpoints, type of literature, formulation, GLY dose and exposure time. A forest plot showed an overall positive association between GLY exposure and its formulations and MN, corroborated by the cumulative effects size. Different responses were observed on mammalian and non-mammalian. Interesting results was noticed in exposure route where oral administration of GLY presented no significance. Exposure by intraperitoneal injection presented the highest MN formation. Pure GLY caused fewer effects than to commercial mixtures, but both presented mutagenic effects. The studies with males presented significant responses, while studies with females were not significant. The cumulative effects size was not clearly related to GLY dose, and was negatively related to exposure time. It can be attributed to different test systems, exposure routes and protocols analyzed. In conclusion, our results support the hypothesis that exposure to GLY and its formulations increases the frequency of MN formation.
<h4>Background</h4>Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are the world's most widely used weed control agents. Public health concerns have increased since the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen in 2015. To further investigate the health effects of glyphosate and GBHs, the Ramazzini Institute launched the Global Glyphosate Study (GGS), which is designed to test a wide range of toxicological outcomes. Reported here are the results of the carcinogenicity arm of the GGS.<h4>Methods</h4>Glyphosate and two GBHs, Roundup Bioflow used in the European Union (EU) and RangerPro used in the U.S., were administered to male and female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, beginning at gestational day 6 (via maternal exposure) through 104 weeks of age. Glyphosate was administered through drinking water at three doses: the EU acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 0.5 mg/kg body weight/day, 5 mg/kg body weight/day and the EU no-observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) of 50 mg/kg body weight/day. The two GBH formulations were administered at the same glyphosate-equivalent doses.<h4>Results</h4>In all 3 treatment groups, statistically significant dose-related increased trends or increased incidences of benign and malignant tumors at multiple anatomic sites were observed compared to historical and concurrent controls. These tumors arose in haemolymphoreticular tissues (leukemia), skin, liver, thyroid, nervous system, ovary, mammary gland, adrenal glands, kidney, urinary bladder, bone, endocrine pancreas, uterus and spleen (hemangiosarcoma). Increased incidences occurred in both sexes. Most of these involved tumors that are rare in SD rats (background incidence < 1%) with 40% of leukemias deaths in the treated groups occurring before 52 weeks of age and increased early deaths were also observed for other solid tumors.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Glyphosate and GBHs at exposure levels corresponding to the EU ADI and the EU NOAEL caused dose-related increases in incidence of multiple benign and malignant tumors in SD rats of both sexes. Early-life onset and mortality were observed for multiple tumors. These results provide robust evidence supporting IARC's conclusion that there is "sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity [of glyphosate] in experimental animals". Furthermore, our data are consistent with epidemiological evidence on the carcinogenicity of glyphosate and GBHs.
The widespread use of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) has raised concerns about their potential role in hormone-sensitive cancers such as breast cancer. This systematic review aimed to evaluate preclinical evidence on the effects of glyphosate (pure compound) or glyphosate-based herbicide formulations (GBHs) exposure on breast cancer cell proliferation and related molecular pathways. A structured search was conducted across PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Springer Nature Link, Web of Science databases, covering studies published up to 9 November 2025, following a PROSPERO-registered protocol (ID: CRD42021238350). Eligible studies included original in vitro and in vivo preclinical research using human breast cancer cell lines (e.g., MCF-7, T47D, MDA-MB-231, MCF-12A, and MCF-10A) or relevant animal models. Outcomes assessed included cell viability, proliferation, tumor growth, apoptosis, cell cycle regulation, and molecular markers associated with endocrine signaling. Two reviewers independently screened and extracted data, resolving disagreements via discussion or third-party adjudication. From an initial pool of 699 articles, seven in vitro studies met the inclusion and quality criteria. Glyphosate exposure demonstrated weak estrogenic activity in ER-positive breast cancer cells, primarily via ERα modulation and altered gene expression related to proliferation and DNA repair. GBHs showed greater cytotoxic and epigenetic effects in non-tumorigenic cells, often independent of ER signaling. No included study employed in vivo breast cancer models. Overall, preclinical evidence suggests glyphosate may act as a weak endocrine disruptor under specific conditions, but findings are limited by the short-term in vitro designs, heterogeneous methodologies, and lack of chronic or in vivo data. Further research using long-term exposure and animal models is needed to clarify potential risks and inform regulatory and public health decisions.
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Abstract
Glyphosate is a chemical compound derived from glycine, marketed as a broad-spectrum herbicide, and represents one of the most widely used pesticides in the world. For a long time, it was assumed that glyphosate was harmless, either due to its selective enzymatic acting method on plants, and because commercial formulations were believed to contain only inert chemicals. Glyphosate is widely spread in the environment, the general population is daily exposed to it via different routes, including the consumption of both plant, and non-plant based foods. Glyphosate has been detected in high amounts in workers’ urine, but has been detected likewise in bodily fluids, such as blood and maternal milk, and also in 60%–80% of general population, including children. Considering its massive presence, daily exposure to glyphosate could be considered a health risk for humans. Indeed, in 2015, the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) classified glyphosate and its derivatives in Group 2A, as probable human carcinogens. In 2022, nevertheless, EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) stated that the available data did not provide sufficient evidence to prove the mutagenic/carcinogenic effects of glyphosate. Therefore, the European Commission (EC) decided to renew the approval of glyphosate for another 10 years. The purpose of this review is to examine the scientific literature, focusing on potential risks to human health arising from exposure to glyphosate, its metabolites and its commercial products (e.g., Roundup ® ), with particular regard to its mutagenic and carcinogenic potential and its effects as endocrine disrupter (ED) especially in the human reproductive system.
Keywords: glyphosate, plant protection products, mutagenic, cancer, human health and repr
Glyphosate (GLY), a widely used herbicide, poses potential health risks even at low exposure levels and is prevalent in the general population through dietary and environmental residues. GLY accumulation may contribute to renal injury, but population-based evidence remains limited. We retrospectively studied 110 non-occupationally exposed patients undergoing renal biopsy,classified into two groups based on tubular injury score: mild (score 1, n = 69) and moderate-to-severe injury (score 2–4, n = 41). Median urinary GLY concentration was 2.50 ng/ml (IQR 1.40–3.12), higher in the moderate-to-severe group. Urinary GLY levels were positively correlated with tubular injury score. After full adjustment in multivariable logistic regression, individuals in the third quartile of urinary GLY (2.50–3.12 ng/ml) had a 26.30-fold higher risk of moderate-to-severe tubular injury compared with the lowest quartile (p = 0.008). Restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis confirmed a significant nonlinear association between urinary GLY and moderate-to-severe injury. Urinary GLY demonstrated good predictive performance for moderate-to-severe tubular injury (AUC = 0.707). Literature review and network toxicology analysis suggested that GLY may induce cytotoxicity and genetic damage, contributing to renal injury in humans. These findings support the potential nephrotoxic effects of low-dose glyphosate exposure in a clinical cohort and add to the limited epidemiological evidence linking environmental e
Glyphosate (N-phosphonomethylglycine) is a widely used organophosphorus herbicide that inhibits the shikimate pathway, a crucial metabolic route responsible for the synthesis of aromatic amino acids in plants and certain microorganisms. Due to its broad-spectrum activity, glyphosate serves as the main active ingredient in various commercial herbicide formulations, including Roundup and Kalach 360 SL (KL). It poses a health hazard to animals and humans due to its persistence in soil, water erosion, and crops. The aim of our study was to continue the previous research to explore the impact of KL on bone using physico-chemical parameters and in silico studies after exposing female wistar rats for 60 days. The in silico study concerned the assessment of binding affinity and molecular interactions using computational modeling approach. The rats were allocated into three experimental groups: group 1 ( n = 6) served as controls, while groups 2 and 3 received low and high doses (Dose 1: 126 mg/Kg and Dose 2: 315 mg/Kg) of KL dissolved in water, respectively. All rats were sacrificed after 60 days of exposure. XRD and FTIR spectrum analysis of bone tissues in female rats showed significant histoarchitectural changes associated with bone mineralization disruption. Our results have demonstrated that sub-chronic exposure of adult female rats to KL causes bone rarefaction, as confirmed by a previous histological study. This physico-chemical study has further confirmed the harmful impact o
ABSTRACT Roundup is one of the most widely used glyphosate‐based harmful herbicides in the United States as well as globally, which poses a severe risk for terrestrial and aquatic organisms. In order to identify the detrimental effects of Roundup exposure in aquatic organisms, we investigated the environmentally relevant concentrations of Roundup exposure (low dose: 0.5 μg/L and high dose: 5.0 μg/L for 2 weeks) on renin expression, oxidative‐nitrative stress biomarkers (e.g., 2,4‐dinitrophenol, DNP; and 3‐nitrotyrosine protein, NTP), prooxidant‐antioxidant enzymes expressions (e.g., superoxide dismutase, SOD; and catalase, CAT), cellular apoptosis, and cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A) mRNA levels in the kidneys of goldfish ( Carassius auratus ). Histopathological and in situ TUNEL analyses showed widespread tissue disruption (e.g., bowman's capsule shrinkage, melanin pigment formation, etc.) and induced apoptotic nuclei in the kidneys of goldfish. Immunohistochemical and quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR) analyses showed a significant ( p < 0.05) increase in the expression of renin, DNP, NTP, SOD, and CAT, as well as CYP1A mRNA levels in the kidneys of fish exposed to Roundup. These results suggest that environmentally relevant concentrations of Roundup disrupt kidney architecture by inducing oxidative‐nitrative stress, cellular apoptosis, and change in osmoregulatory enzymes (i.e., renin) and prooxidant‐antioxidant systems in the kidneys of teleost fishes.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic disease that has had a significant prevalence in recent decades. Various factors contribute to the disease, with diet being one of the most important. In recent decades, several studies have reported a correlation between agricultural pesticide residues and NAFLD. This systematic review aimed to discuss scientific findings and analyze evidence of the association between organophosphate pesticide residues and NAFLD. To achieve this, relevant keywords were identified, and a search protocol was established in databases over the past decade to facilitate article retrieval. Finally, a total of 314 articles were identified through the search, of which 21 met the inclusion criteria and were selected for this review. This review identified a diverse range of OPs and their metabolites concerning NAFLD. Glyphosate and its formulations (such as Roundup) were the most studied OPs. The key OPE metabolites most frequently studied were BDCIPP, BCIPHIPP, DPHP, and BCEP. In addition, pesticides such as triphenyl phosphate (TPHP), trichlorofon, tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCPP), tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), and tri-ortho-cresyl phosphate (TOCP) were also investigated. The primary method for assessing OPs exposure involved measuring urinary metabolites. We discuss the evidence for the correlation between exposure to OPs and NAFLD, as well as the factors that influence it.
Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide worldwide. It is a broad spectrum herbicide and its agricultural uses increased considerably after the development of glyphosate-resistant genetically modified (GM) varieties. Since glyphosate was introduced in 1974, all regulatory assessments have established that glyphosate has low hazard potential to mammals, however, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded in March 2015 that it is probably carcinogenic. The IARC conclusion was not confirmed by the EU assessment or the recent joint WHO/FAO evaluation, both using additional evidence. Glyphosate is not the first topic of disagreement between IARC and regulatory evaluations, but has received greater attention. This review presents the scientific basis of the glyphosate health assessment conducted within the European Union (EU) renewal process, and explains the differences in the carcinogenicity assessment with IARC. Use of different data sets, particularly on long-term toxicity/carcinogenicity in rodents, could partially explain the divergent views; but methodological differences in the evaluation of the available evidence have been identified. The EU assessment did not identify a carcinogenicity hazard, revised the toxicological profile proposing new toxicological reference values, and conducted a risk assessment for some representatives uses. Two complementary exposure assessments, human-biomonitoring and food-residues-monitoring, suggests that actual exposure levels are below these reference values and do not represent a public concern.
Institute for Risk Assessment have concluded that there is no evidence that glyphosate poses a carcinogenic or genotoxic risk to humans. The final assessment
Glyphosate-based herbicides are herbicides made of a glyphosate salt usually combined with other ingredients needed to allow penetration into plants. Roundup was the first glyphosate-based herbicide, developed by Monsanto in the 1970s. It is used most heavily on corn, soy, and cotton crops that have been genetically modified to be resistant to the herbicide.
Some products include two active ingre
Glyphosate-based herbicides are herbicides made of a glyphosate salt usually combined with other ingredients needed to allow penetration into plants. Roundup was the first glyphosate-based herbicide, developed by Monsanto in the 1970s. It is used most heavily on corn, soy, and cotton crops that have been genetically modified to be resistant to the herbicide.
Some products include two active ingredients, such as Enlist Duo which includes 2,4-D as well as glyphosate. As of 2010, more than 750 glyphosate products were on the market.
Glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides have low acute toxicity in mammals. They likewise have not been shown to pose a significant risk to human health during normal use, although human deaths have been reported from deliberate ingestion of concentrated RoundUp. It is difficult to determine how much surfactants contribute to the overall toxicity of each formulation. Glyphosate formulations containing the surfactant polyethoxylated tallow amine (POEA) are sometimes used terrestrially, but are not approved for aquatic use in the US due to their toxicity to aquatic organisms.
There have been multiple lawsuits against Monsanto asserting that exposure to glyphosate herbicides is carcinogenic and that the company did not adequately disclose the risk to consumers. In 2018 a California jury awarded US$289 million in damages (later cut to US$78 million on appeal then reduced to $21 million after another appeal) to a groundskeeper who argued that Monsanto failed to adequately warn consumers of cancer risks posed by the herbicides.
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