Glyphosate Guide

Glyphosate Safety Record

Farmers discussing their weed management

All crop protection products, including glyphosate, are subject to rigorous testing and oversight by regulatory agencies worldwide.

Glyphosate-based herbicides are among the most extensively tested products, with more than 1,500 studies and 50 years of research. 

After reviewing the volume of scientific research and evaluations by regulatory agencies over the years, experts and regulators worldwide have concluded that glyphosate-based products can be used safely as directed. 

 

Global Approvals

 

In November 2023, the EU Commission re-approved glyphosate for 10 years, following the favorable scientific assessments by its health and safety agencies, including the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which “did not identify any critical areas of concern.”  

Glyphosate-based herbicides are among the most extensively tested products, with more than 1,500 studies and 50 years of research.

Regulatory authorities in the following countries have recently reaffirmed that glyphosate-based products can be used safely as directed:

 

EPA Findings

 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has extensively studied the health and safety of glyphosate for decades. EPA scientists performed an independent evaluation of available data for glyphosate and found:  

  • “No risks of concern to human health from current uses of glyphosate. Glyphosate products used according to label directions do not result in risks to children or adults.”
  • “No evidence that glyphosate causes cancer in humans. The Agency concluded that glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans. EPA considered a significantly more extensive and relevant dataset than the International Agency on the Research for Cancer (IARC). EPA’s database includes studies submitted to support registration of glyphosate and studies EPA identified in the open literature.” 

Approval Process

Understanding the rigorous approval process for herbicides is crucial to appreciating the safety and efficacy standards these products must meet before they reach the market. 

Step 1
Step 2
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Step 1
Step 1

Before we are allowed to sell plant protection products, they need to undergo strict evaluation by authorities for each country to ensure they pose no unreasonable risk to humans or the environment. 

Step 2
Step 2

For this purpose, we need to submit hundreds of residue, toxicological, eco-toxicological, environmental, physical-chemical, and efficacy studies. All this scientific information is compiled in a registration dossier, containing individual study reports, summaries and risk assessments, including proposals for risk mitigation.

Step 3
Step 3

These dossiers are submitted to regulatory authorities around the world who review the submitted data and risk assessments, and grant or deny approval of active substances and products based on their specific regulations and conclusions. 

Regulatory Evaluation vs. External Classification

 

Experts and regulators worldwide have concluded that glyphosate-based products can be used safely as directed. The only group to categorize glyphosate as a probable carcinogen is an affiliate of the World Health Organization called the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is not a regulatory body and did not conduct or fully review any original studies.  

 

For additional context, IARC puts other everyday things like drinking hot beverages, a barber’s occupational exposure, and eating red meat at the same level of safety hazard as glyphosate. 

 

The EPA and other leading regulatory authorities around the world have assessed the scientific data and disagreed with the cancer classification for glyphosate reached in 2015 by IARC.