Abstract
Glyphosate, [N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine], was synthesized in 1950 and patented as a chemical chelator, capable of binding metals such as calcium, magnesium, and manganese. Glyphosate’s ability to bind to manganese was later found to inhibit an enzyme used by plants and bacteria for biosynthesis of three amino acids found in all proteins, and the commercial value of this property led to the development and marketing of glyphosate as a broad-spectrum herbicide. In 1974, the Monsanto Chemical Company introduced the herbicide as Roundup™, a formulation of glyphosate and adjuvants. Roundup™ was originally used for weed control in specific farming and landscaping operations and around power lines and train tracks. Following introduction of Roundup Ready™ seeds, in the 1990s, glyphosate use increased significantly. Although Monsanto’s patent on glyphosate expired in 2002, the widespread and growing use of Roundup Ready™ seed globally and competitive glyphosate marketing by other chemical companies have led to glyphosate’s significant increase in the environment. Concerns about potential adverse effects have also grown. While, at present, many regulatory agencies have determined that there is little risk of adverse health effects to the general public or to farmworkers using proper handling techniques, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) assessing hazard data on glyphosate identified it in 2016 as a category 2A carcinogen (likely to cause human cancer). Response to this classification has been divided: The agribusiness industry has been forceful in its opposition, while other experts support IARC’s classification. The following article examines these issues. It also examines the basis for regulatory decisions, controversies involved, and questions of environmental justice that may or may not be addressed as glyphosate continues to be used.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
Data based on information from US Department of Agriculture, National Agriculture Statistical Service, and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Data from EPA includes both farming and non-farming uses, and calculations for non-agricultural use represent adjustments, taking the higher EPA estimates into consideration.
Dr. Portier, now a consulting scientist, was formerly director or associate director of several US environmental agencies and, while not participating as a member of the expert panel in the IARC evaluation of glyphosate, did attend the meeting. In his present consulting role, he has been an expert witness for a US law firm involved in glyphosate litigation. Although at the time he attended the IARC meeting, he was not involved in glyphosate litigation, according to a letter from Reps. Lamar Alexander (R-Tex), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), and Frank Lucas (R-OK) (Smith et al. 2017) to Dr. Christopher Wild, IARC Director, Dr. Portier became involved in glyphosate litigation 9 days after the IARC assessment was announced. A publication by Corporate Europe Observatory (Corporate Europe Observatory 2017) defends Dr. Portier’s work, noting that he did not sign a contract until 29 days following the IARC meeting, and that more than 90% of his work as an expert witness was “performed and billed” in 2017.
In November 2017, a lawsuit was filed in California (National Association of Wheat Growers et al. v. Lauren Zeise, director of OEHHA, et al., US District Court, Eastern District of California), by several farm groups and Monsanto against the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment to halt labeling under Proposition 65. The suit claims that the requirement would mandate that foodstuffs made from crops grown with glyphosate be labeled, and that such a requirement is an undue burden. According to Scott Partridge, Monsanto Vice President of global strategy, “Such warnings would equate to compelled false speech, directly violate the First Amendment, and generate unwarranted public concern and confusion.” (Polansek 2017)
References
Acquavella JF, Alexander BH, Mandel JS, Gustin C, Baker B, Chapman P, Bleeke M (2004) Glyphosate biomonitoring for farmers and their families: results from the farm family exposure study. Environ Health Perspect 112(3):321–326
Acquavella J, Garabrant D, Marsh G, Sorahan T, Weed DL (2016) Glyphosate epidemiology expert panel review: a weight of evidence systematic review of the relationship between glyphosate exposure and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma or multiple myeloma. Crit Rev Toxicol 46(sup1):28–43. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408444.2016.1214681
African Centre for Biosafety (2015) Glyphosate in SA: risky pesticide at large and unregulated in our soil. https://acbio.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Roundup-Environmental-impacts-SA.pdf
Albrecht L (2017) Debate over glyphosate rages in South Africa. Deutche Welle http://www.dw.com/en/debate-over-glyphosate-rages-in-south-africa/a-36880101
Araújo AS Monteiro RT Abarkeli RB (2003) Effect of glyphosate on the microbial activity of two Brazilian soils. Chemosphere 2003 52(5): 799–804
Arcury TA, Quandt SA, Barr DB, Hoppin JA, McCauley L, Grzywacz JG, Robson MG (2006) Farmworker exposure to pesticides: methodologic issues for the collection of comparable data. Environ Health Perspect 114:923–928. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.8531
Avila-Vazquez M, Maturano E, Etchegoyen A, Difilippo FS, Maclean B (2017) Association between cancer and environmental exposure to glyphosate. Int J Clin Med 8:73–85. https://doi.org/10.4236/ijcm.2017.82007
Battaglin WA, Meyer MT, Kuivila KM, Dietze JE (2014) Glyphosate and its degradation product AMPA occur frequently and widely in U.S. soils, surface water, groundwater, and precipitation. J Am Water Res Assn (JAWRA) 50(2):275–290. https://doi.org/10.1111/jawr.12159
Benamú MA, Schneider MI, Sánchez NE (2010) Effects of the herbicide glyphosate on biological attributes of Alpaida veniliae (Araneae, Araneidae), in laboratory. Chemosphere 78(7):871–876. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2009.11.027
Benbrook CM (2016) Trends in glyphosate herbicide use in the United States and globally. Envir Sci Eur 28:3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-016-0070-0
Berkey R (2017a) Environmental justice and farm labor. Taylor and Francis Group, Routledge, p 11
Berkey R (2017b) Environmental justice and farm labor. Taylor and Francis Group, Routledge, p 108
Bolognesi C, Carrasquilla G, Volpi S, Solomon KR, Marshall EJ (2009) Biomonitoring of genotoxic risk in agricultural workers from five Colombian regions: association to occupational exposure to glyphosate. J Toxicol Environ Health A 72:986–997. https://doi.org/10.1080/15287390902929741
Bratspies R (2017) Owning all the seeds: consolidation and control in agbiotech. Environ Law 47:583–608
Broines MJI, Schmidt O (2017) Conventional tillage decreases the abundance and biomass of earthworms and alters their community structure in a global meta-analysis. Glob Chang Biol 23(10):4396–4419. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13744
Brusick D, Aardema M, Kier L, Kirkland D, Williams G (2016) Genotoxicity expert panel review: weight of evidence evaluation of the genotoxicity of glyphosate, glyphosate-based formulations, and aminomethylphosphonic acid. Crit Rev Toxicol 46(sup1):56–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408444.2016.1214680
California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (2017) Glyphosate listed effective July 7, 2017, as Known to the State of California to Cause Cancer https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/crnr/glyphosate-listed-effective-july-7-2017-known-state-california-cause-cancer
Center for Biological Diversity (2017) Scientists to journal: retract pesticide review after revelations of Monsanto funding, influence. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2017/pesticides-10-12-2017.php
Cerdiera AL, Gazziero LP, Matallo M, Duke S (2011) Agricultural impacts of glyphosate-resistant soybean cultivation in South America. J Agric Food Chem 59(11):5799–5807. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf102652y
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (2017) SST committee investigates potential conflicts of interest at IARC on glyphosate. https://science.house.gov/news/press-releases/sst-committee-investigates-potential-conflicts-interest-iarc-glyphosate
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (2018) Full committee hearing—in defense of scientific integrity: examining the IARC monograph programme and glyphosate review. https://science.house.gov/legislation/hearings/full-committee-hearing-defense-scientific-integrity-examining-iarc-monograph
Contardo-Jara V, Klingelmann E, Wiegand C (2009) Bioaccumulation of glyphosate and its formulation roundup ultra in Lumbriculus variegatus and its effects on biotransformation and antioxidant enzymes. Environ Pollut 157(1):57–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2008.07.027
Corporate Europe Observatory (2017) Setting the record straight on false accusations: Dr. C. Portier’s work on glyphosate and IARC. https://corporateeurope.org/food-and-agriculture/2017/10/setting-record-straight-false-accusations-dr-c-portier-work-glyphosate
De Roos AJ, Zahm SH, Cantor KP, Weisenburger DD, Holmes FF, Burmeister LF, Blair A (2003) Integrative assessment of multiple pesticides as risk factors for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma among men. Occup Environ Med 60(9):E11
De Roos AJ, Blair A, Rusiecki JA, Hoppin JA, Svec M, Dosemeci M, Sandler DP, Alavanja MC (2005) Cancer incidence among glyphosate-exposed pesticide applicators in the agricultural health study. Environ Health Perspect 113:49–54. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.7340
Dill GM, Sammons RD, Feng PC, Kohn F, Kretzmer K, Mehrsheikh A, Bleeke M, Honegger JL, Farmer D, Wright D, Haupfear EA (2010) Glyphosate: discovery, development, applications, and properties. In: Nandula VK (ed) Glyphosate Resistance in Crops and Weeds: History, Development, and Management. Wiley, Hoboken ISBN 978-0-470-41031-8
Domínguez A, Brown GG, Sautter KD, Ribas de Oliveira CM, Carvalho de Vasconcelos E, Niva CC, MLC B, Bedano JC (2016) Toxicity of AMPA to the earthworm Eisenia andrea Bouché, 1972 in tropical artificial soil. Sci Rep 6:19731 https://www.nature.com/articles/srep19731.pdf. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep19731
Donkin SS, Velez JC, Totten AK, Stanisiewski EP, Hartnell GF (2003) Effects of feeding silage and grain from glyphosate-tolerant or insect-protected corn hybrids on feed intake, ruminal digestion, and milk production in dairy cattle. J Dairy Sci 86(5):1780–1788. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(03)73763-1
Duke SO (2017) The history and current status of glyphosate. Publications from USDA-ARS / UNL Faculty. 1766. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usdaarsfacpub/1766 https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.4652
Eastmond DA (2016) Glyphosate hazard and risk assessment: a comparison of the approaches of two international agencies. http://cbns.ucr.edu/faculty/EastmondToxForumglyphosatepresentation2.pdf
Elsevier (2013) ‘Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize’ by Gilles Eric Séralini et al. has been retracted by the Journal Food and Chemical Toxicology. https://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/research-and-journals/elsevier-announces-article-retraction-from-journal-food-and-chemical-toxicology
Eriksson M, Hardell L, Carlberg M, Akerman M (2008) Pesticide exposure as risk factor for non-hodgkin lymphoma including histopathological subgroup analysis. Int J Cancer 123(7):1657–1663. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.23589
European Food Safety Authority (2015) Conclusion on the peer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance glyphosate. EFSA J 13(11):4302–4409. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4302
Evans SC, Shaw EM, Rypstra AL (2010) Exposure to a glyphosate-based herbicide affects agrobiont predatory arthropod behaviour and long-term survival. Ecotoxicology 19(7):1249–1257. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-010-0509-9
Faber D (1993) Environment under fire: imperialism and the ecological crisis in Central America. Monthly Review Press, New York, pp 83–116
Farmworker Justice (2014) Selected statistics on farmworkers. https://www.farmworkerjustice.org/sites/default/files/NAWS%20data%20factsht%201-13-15FINAL.pdf
Fernandez-Cornejo J Nehring R Osteen C Wechsler S Martin A Vialou A (2014) Pesticide use in U.S. agriculture: 21 selected crops, 1960-2008. EIB-124, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, May 2014. https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs /publications/43854/46734_eib124.pdf
Fishel F Ferrell J MacDonald G Sellers B (2013) Herbicides: how toxic are they? University of Florida IFAS Extension http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/PI/PI17000.pdf
Flocks JD (2012) The environmental and social injustice of farmworker pesticide exposure. 19 Geo J on Poverty Law Policy 255 http://scholarship.law.ufl.edu/facultypub/268
Gabowski P, Jayne T (2016) Analyzing trends in herbicide use in sub-saharan Africa. Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics and the Department of Economics, Michigan State University https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/245909/2/IDWP142.pdf
Gaupp-Berghausen M, Hofer M, Rewald B, Zaller JG (2015) Glyphosate-based herbicides reduce the activity and reproduction of earthworms and lead to increased soil nutrient concentrations. Sci Rep 5:12886 https://www.nature.com/articles/srep12886.pdf. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep12886
Global Information, Inc (2013) Research report on global and China glyphosate industry, 2013–2017. https://www.giiresearch.com/report/cri273672-research-report-on-global-china-glyphosate.html
Goldman L Tran N (2001) The impact of toxic substances on the poor in developing countries. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/707331468763840793/pdf/34661.pdf
Greim H, Saltmiras D, Mostert V, Strupp C (2015) Evaluation of carcinogenic potential of the herbicide glyphosate, drawing on tumor incidence data from fourteen chronic/carcinogenicity rodent studies. Crit Rev Toxicol 45(3):185–208. https://doi.org/10.3109/10408444.2014.1003423
Guyton KZ, Loomis D, Grosse Y, El Ghissasi F, Benbrahim-Tallaa L, Guha N, Scoccianti C, Mattock H, Straif K (2015) Carcinogenicity of tetrachlorvinphos, parathion, malathion, diazonon and glyphosate. Lancet Oncol 16(5):490–491. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(15)70134-8
Hakim D (2017) Monsanto weed killer roundup faces new doubts on safety in unsealed documents. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/14/business/monsanto-roundup-safety-lawsuit.html
Heap I, Duke SO (2018) Overview of glyphosate-resistant weeds worldwide. Pest Manag Sci 74(5):1040–1049. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.4760
Henderson AM, Gervais JA, Luukinen B, Buhl K Stone D (2010) Glyphosate technical fact sheet. National Pesticide Information Center, Oregon State University Extension Services http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/archive/glyphotech.html
Herbert LT, Vázquez DE, Arenas A, Farina WM (2014) Effects of field-realistic doses of glyphosate on honeybee appetitive behavior. Exptl Biol 217:3457–3464. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.109520
IARC Director (2018) IARC response to criticisms of the monographs and the glyphosate evaluation. International Agency for Research on Cancer http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/iarcnews/pdf/IARC_response_to_criticisms_of_the_Monographs_and_the_glyphosate_evaluation.pdf
International Agency for Research on Cancer (2017) Some Organophosphate Insecticides and Herbicides. International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol112/mono112.pdf. p. 32
International Agency for Research on Cancer (2006) IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risk to humans: preamble. World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyons, France. http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Preamble/CurrentPreamble.pdf
International Agency for Research on Cancer (2017) Some organophosphate insecticides and herbicides. International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France. http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol112/mono112.pdf. pp 321–399
Kelland K (2017) In glyphosate review, WHO cancer agency edited out 'non-carcinogenic' findings. Reuters: Health News, October 19, 2017 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-who-iarc-glyphosate-specialreport/in-glyphosate-review-who-cancer-agency-edited-out-non-carcinogenic-findings-idUSKBN1CO251
Kelley MA, Flocks JD, Economos J, McCauley LA (2013) Female farmworkers’ health during pregnancy; health care providers’ perspectives. Workplace Health Saf 61(7):308–313. https://doi.org/10.1177/216507991306100706
Kier LD (2015) Review of genotoxicity biomonitoring studies of glyphosate-based formulations. Crit Rev Toxicol 45(3):209–218. https://doi.org/10.3109/10408444.2015.1010194
Kier LD, Kirkland DJ (2013) Review of genotoxicity studies of glyphosate and glyphosate-based formulations. Crit Rev Toxicol 43(4):283–315. https://doi.org/10.3109/10408444.2013.770820
Kimmel GL Kimmel CA Williams AL DeSesso JM (2013) Evaluation of developmental toxicity studies of glyphosate with attention to cardiovascular development. Crit Rev Toxicol, 2013; 43(2): 79–95. https://doi.org/10.3109/10408444.2012.749834
Kremer RJ, Means NE (2009) Glyphosate and glyphosate-resistant crop interactions with rhizosphere microorganisms. Eur J Agron 31:153–161
Krüger M, Schledorn P, Schrödl W, Hoppe HW, Lutz W, Shehata AA (2014) Detection of glyphosate residues in animals and humans. J Environ Anal Toxicol 4:210. https://doi.org/10.4172/2161-0525.1000210
McClellan RO (2016) Evaluating the potential carcinogenic hazard of glyphosate. Crit Rev Toxicol 46(sup1):1–2. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408444.2016.1234117
McDuffie HH, Pahwa P, McLaughlin JR, Spinelli JJ, Fincham S, Dosman JA, Robson D, Skinnider LF, Choi NW (2001) Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and specific pesticide exposures in men: cross-Canada study of pesticides and health. Cancer Epidemiol Biomark Prev 10(11):1155–1163
Mesnage R, Defarge N, Spiroux de Vendômois J, Séralini GE (2015) Potential toxic effects of glyphosate and its commercial formulations below regulatory limits. Food Chem Toxicol 84:33–153
Meyer H, Hilbeck A (2013) Rat feeding studies with genetically modified maize—a comparative evaluation of applied methods and risk assessment standards. Environ Sci Europe 25:33. https://doi.org/10.1186/2190-4715-25-33
Mirande L, Haramboure M, Smagghe G, Saret P, Schneider M (2010) Side-effects of glyphosate on the life parameters of Eriopis connexa (Coleoptera: Coccinelidae) in Argentina. Commun Agric Appl Biol Sci 75:367–372
Morris A, Murrell EG, Klein T, Boden BH (2016) Effect of two commercial herbicides on life history traits of a human disease vector, Aedes aegypti, in the laboratory setting. Ecotoxicology 25:863–870. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-016-1643-9
Mortensen DA, Egan JF, Maxwell BD, Ryan MR, Smith RG (2012) Navigating a critical juncture for sustainable weed management. Bioscience 62(1):75–84. https://doi.org/10.1525/bio.2012.62.1.12
National Toxicology Program (2016) Summary minutes NTP Board of Scientific Counselors June 15–16, 2016. https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/about_ntp/bsc/2016/june/minutes201606_508.pdf. pp 11–12
Neumann G Kohls S Landsberg E Stock-Oliveira Souza K Yamada T Römheld V (2006) Relevance of glyphosate transfer to non-target plants via the rhizosphere. Z Pflanzenk Pflanzen 963–969
Newman MM, Hoilett N, Lorenz N, Dick RP, Liles MR, Ramsier C, Kloepper JW (2016) Glyphosate effects on soil rhizosphere-associated bacterial communities. Sci Total Environ 543(2016):155–160
Polansek T (2017) Monsanto, U.S. farm groups sue California over glyphosate warnings. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-pesticides-monsanto/monsanto-u-s-farm-groups-sue-california-over-glyphosate-warnings-idUSKBN1DF1LR
Portier CJ (2017) Open letter: Review of the Carcinogenicity of Glyphosate by EChA, EFSA and BfR. https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/open-letter-from-dr-christopher-portier.pdf
Portier CJ, Armstrong BK, Baguley BC, Bauer X, Belyaev I et al (2017) Differences in the carcinogenic evaluation of glyphosate between the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). J Epidem Comm Health 70(8) http://jech.bmj.com/content/70/8/741
Rao P, Arcury TA, Quandt SA, Doran A (2004) North Carolina Growers’ and extension agents’ perceptions of Latino farmworker pesticide exposure. Human Organ Summer 63(2):151–161. https://doi.org/10.17730/humo.63.2.qdyhan8n1ngkf2rk
Reeves M, Schafer KS (2003) Greater risks, fewer rights: U.S. farmworkers and pesticides. Int J Occup Env Heal 9(1):30–39. https://doi.org/10.1179/107735203800328858
Rodriguez AS (2017) Public comment request for hearing on glyphosate. https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/proposition-65//united_farm_workers.pdf
Rosenblatt J (2018) Monsanto judge says expert testimony against roundup is ‘shaky’. Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-14/monsanto-judge-says-expert-testimony-against-roundup-is-shaky
Sanchís J Kantiani L Llorca M Rubio F Ginebreda A Fraile J Garrido T Farré M (2012) Determination of glyphosate in groundwater samples using an ultrasensitive immunoassay and confirmation by on-line solid-phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Anal Bioanal Chem 2012 402(7): 2335–2345 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-011-5541-y
Santos MJG, Ferriera MFL, Cachada A, Duarte AC, Sousa JP (2012) Pesticide application to agricultural fields: effects on the reproduction and avoidance behavior of Folsomia candida and Eisenia andrei. Ecotoxicology 21(8):2113–2122. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-012-0963-7
Saska P, Skuhrovec J, Lukáš J, Chi H, Tuan SJ, Honěk A (2016) Treatment by glyphosate-based herbicide alters life history parameters of the rose-grain aphid Metopolophium dirhodum. Sci Rep 6:27801. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep27801
Séralini GE, Clair E, Mesnage R, Gress S, Defarge N, Malatesta M, Hennequin D, de Vendomois JS (2012) Long term toxicity of a roundup herbicide and a roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize. Food Chem Toxicol 50:4221–4231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2012.08.005
Séralini GE, Clair E, Mesnage R, Gress S, Defarge N, Malatesta M, Hennequin D, de Vendômois JS (2014) Republished study: long-term toxicity of a roundup herbicide and a roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize. Environ Sci Eur 26(1):14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-014-0014-5
Smith L Biggs A Lucas F (2017) Letter to Dr. Christopher wild congress of the United States house of representatives committee on science, space, and technology https://science.house.gov/sites/republicans.science.house.gov/files/documents/12.08.2017_SST-IARC.pdf
Smith-Roe S (2016) Glyphosate research scoping. National Toxicology Program, NTP Board of Scientific Counselors Meeting, June 15–16, 2016 https://usrtk.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/NTP-Glyphosate-presentation-2016-BOSC-glyphosate_508.pdf
Soil Association, (2016) The impact of glyphosate on soil health: the evidence to date. https://www.soilassociation.org/media/7202/glyphosate-and-soil-health-full-report.pdf
Sol Balbuena M, Tison L, Hahn M, Greggers U, Menzel R, Farina WM (2016) Effects of sublethal doses of glyphosate on honeybee navigation. J Exptl Biol 218:2799–2805. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.117291
Solomon KR (2016) Glyphosate in the general population and in applicators: a critical review of studies on exposures. Crit Rev Toxicol 46(sup1):21–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408444.2016.1214678
Straif K Loomis D Guyton K Grosse Y et al. (2014) Future priorities for the IARC monographs. The Lancet Oncology 15. www.thelancet.com/oncology Vol 15 June 2014; https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(14)70168-8
Thompson HM, Levine SL, Doering J, Norman S, Manson P, Sutton P, von Mérey G (2014) Evaluating exposure and potential effects on honeybee brood (Apis mellifera) development using glyphosate as an example. Int Environ Assess Manag 10(3):463–470. https://doi.org/10.1002/ieam.1529
Transparency Market Research (2014) Glyphosate market for genetically modified and conventional crops—global industry analysis, size, share, growth, trends and forecast 2013–2019. https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/glyphosate-market.html
U.S. Right to Know (2017) The Monsanto papers: roundup (glyphosate) cancer case key documents and analysis. https://usrtk.org/pesticides/mdl-monsanto-glyphosate-cancer-case-key-documents-analysis/
United States Environmental Protection Agency (1985) EPA reg #524–308: Roundup; glyphosate; pathology report on additional kidney sections. Document No. 004855. Washington (DC): Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances, United States Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.ep.gov/pesticides/chemicalsearch/chemical/foia/cleared-reviews/reviews/03601-206.pdf
United States Environmental Protection Agency (1986) Glyphosate; EPA Registration No. 524–308; Roundup; additional histopathological evaluations of kidneys in the chronic feeding study of glyphosate in mice. Document No. 005590. Washington (DC): Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances, United States Environmental Protection Agency” http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/chemicalsearch/chemical/foia/cleared-reviews/ Glyphosate 83 reviews/103601/103601–211.pdf
United States Environmental Protection Agency (2017) EJ 2020 glossary. https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/ej-2020-glossary
US Right to Know (2016) USDA avoids analyzing glyphosate residues on food annual reports. https://usrtk.org/pesticides/usda-avoids-analyzing-glyphosate-residues-on-food-for-annual-report/
Vereecken H (2005) Mobility and leaching of glyphosate: a review. Pest Manag Sci 61(12):1139–1151
Verrell P, Van Buskirk E (2004) As the worm turns: Eisenia tetida avoids soil contaminated by a glyphosate-based herbicide. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 72:219–224
Viano H, Heseltine E, Wilbourn J (1994) Priorities for future IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans. Environ Health Perspect 102(6–7):590–591
Waldman P Stecker T Rosenblatt J (2017) Monsanto was its own ghostwriter for some safety reviews. Academic papers vindicating its Roundup herbicide were written with the help of its employees. Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/businessweek
Williams GM, Aardema M, Acquavella J, Berry C, Brusick D, Burns MM, Camargo JLV et al (2016a) A review of the carcinogenic potential of glyphosate by four independent expert panels and comparison to the IARC assessment. Crit Rev Toxicol 46(sup1):3–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408444.2016.1214677
Williams GM, Berry C, Burns M, de Camargo JLV, Greim H (2016b) Glyphosate rodent carcinogenicity bioassay expert panel review. Crit Rev Toxicol 46(sup1):44–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408444.2016.1214679
Young B (2018) Managing weeds for the future. Corn and Soybean Digest http://www.cornandsoybeandigest.com/resistance-management/managing-weeds-future
Zailer JG Heigl F Reuss L Grabmaier A (2014) Glyphosate herbicide affects belowground interactions between earthworms and symbiotic mycorrhiza. Sci Rep 4 https://archive.org/stream/pubmed-PMC4087917/PMC4087917-srep05634#page/n5/mode/2up https://doi.org/10.1038/srep05634
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank Dr. Rebecca Berkey, Center of Community Service Northeastern University, Dr. Daniel Faber, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Northeastern Environmental Justice Research Collaborative, and Ms. Jennie Economos the Environmental Health Project Coordinator of the Farmworker Association of Florida for their valuable feedback and suggestions for this manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Richmond, M.E. Glyphosate: A review of its global use, environmental impact, and potential health effects on humans and other species. J Environ Stud Sci 8, 416–434 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-018-0517-2
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-018-0517-2