Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 14, 2026
07:42
Quantification of the Potential Impact of Glyphosate-Based Products on Microbiomes
Published on: January 10, 2022
4.9K
Glyphosate rodent carcinogenicity bioassay expert panel review
Gary M Williams1, Colin Berry2, Michele Burns3
1a New York Medical College , Valhalla , NY , USA.
Critical Reviews in Toxicology
|September 29, 2016
Summary
Extensive studies on glyphosate found no evidence of cancer risk in laboratory animals. An expert panel concluded that glyphosate is not a human carcinogen, contradicting some previous evaluations.
Area of Science:
- Toxicology
- Carcinogenesis studies
- Risk assessment
Background:
- Glyphosate is a widely used herbicide.
- The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as probably carcinogenic to humans.
- Conflicting conclusions necessitate a thorough review of the evidence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-evaluate the carcinogenicity of glyphosate.
- To assess the weight of evidence (WoE) regarding glyphosate's carcinogenic potential in laboratory animals.
- To address discrepancies in previous cancer risk assessments.
Main Methods:
- Expert panel review of multiple carcinogenicity studies in mice and rats.
- Assessment of specific tumor types, including renal, liver, pancreatic, and thyroid tumors.
- Application of causality criteria and weight-of-evidence (WoE) analysis.
Main Results:
- Renal neoplastic effects in mice lacked statistical significance and dose-response.
- Liver hemangiosarcomas in mice showed no consistent dose-response and were within historical control ranges.
- Tumor findings in rats (pancreatic, hepatocellular, thyroid) lacked statistical significance, dose-response, or progression to carcinomas.
Conclusions:
- The expert panel concluded that glyphosate is not a carcinogen in laboratory animals.
- The weight of evidence (WoE) does not support a cancer risk to humans from glyphosate exposure.
- Specific tumor types evaluated did not meet criteria for glyphosate-associated carcinogenicity.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Mutagenicity and Carcinogenicity
2.1K
Mutagenicity and carcinogenicity refer to the ability of drugs to cause genetic defects and induce cancer, respectively. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies agents into four groups based on their carcinogenic potential. Group 1 agents are known human carcinogens; group 2A agents are probably carcinogenic to humans; group 3 agents lack data to support their role in carcinogenesis; and group 4 includes agents for which data support that they are not likely to be...
2.1K
01:23Toxicity Testing in Animals
98
Toxicity tests in animals are grounded on two main assumptions: first, the effects observed in laboratory animals can be extrapolated to humans, especially when adjusted for body surface area; second, high-dose exposure in animals is essential to identify potential human hazards from lower doses. This is based on the quantal dose-response concept, which faces the challenge of extrapolating results from relatively few test animals to much larger human populations. For example, a 0.01% incidence...
98