A new long-term animal study has found that even low-dose exposure to glyphosate, the world’s most used herbicide, can lead to increased rates of leukemia and other tumors.
Jordan Joseph reports for Earth.com.
In short:
- Researchers at the Ramazzini Institute exposed rats to glyphosate or two commercial herbicide formulations starting in utero and continuing for two years.
- The study found a dose-dependent increase in benign and malignant tumors, with leukemia showing up early and more often among treated animals compared to controls.
- Results suggest that co-formulants in commercial products may alter toxicity, raising concerns that formulations could be more harmful than glyphosate alone.
Why this matters:
Glyphosate’s widespread use in agriculture, landscaping, and public spaces has long been justified by assumptions about its safety at low doses. But this new evidence, especially concerning early-life exposure, adds to growing concern about its potential role in blood cancers and organ-specific tumors. Regulatory standards for glyphosate often focus on the active ingredient, not the full chemical mixtures in commercial products. But this research suggests that the real-world risks may be undercounted when co-formulants are excluded from toxicity evaluations.
Read more: Glyphosate safety faces renewed scrutiny after rat cancer study
