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Updated: Mar 25, 2026
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Quantification of the Potential Impact of Glyphosate-Based Products on Microbiomes
Published on: January 10, 2022
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Concerns over use of glyphosate-based herbicides and risks associated with exposures: a consensus statement
John Peterson Myers1,2, Michael N Antoniou3, Bruce Blumberg4
1Environmental Health Sciences, Charlottesville, VA, and Adjunct Professor, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburg, PA, USA. jpmyers@ehsic.org.
Environmental Health : a Global Access Science Source
|February 18, 2016
Summary
Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) usage is increasing, with growing evidence of environmental contamination and potential human health risks, including carcinogenicity. Current safety standards may be outdated, necessitating further research and updated regulations.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Toxicology
- Public Health
Background:
- Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) have seen a 100-fold increase in application since the 1970s.
- Increased usage is driven by glyphosate-resistant weeds and new application methods.
- Initial assessments indicated low risks, leading to high regulatory exposure limits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-evaluate glyphosate toxicity in light of emerging scientific evidence.
- To assess the adequacy of current human safety standards for GBHs.
- To provide recommendations for future research and regulatory action.
Main Methods:
- Review of current published literature on GBH uses, mechanisms, and toxicity.
- Analysis of animal and epidemiological studies.
- Examination of the derivation of current human safety standards.
Main Results:
- GBH usage is rising globally and contaminates water, air, and precipitation.
- Glyphosate's environmental persistence is longer than previously thought.
- Glyphosate is classified as a probable human carcinogen, and current exposure limits are based on outdated science.
Conclusions:
- GBHs are widely detected in the environment and food supply, with increasing human exposure.
- Existing regulatory estimates for tolerable daily intake are based on outdated science.
- Further toxicological and epidemiological studies, including biomonitoring, are urgently needed.
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