Glyphosate Weed Killer Linked to Cancer at 'Safe' Doses
Scout Impact
Adds evidence that glyphosate, a common herbicide, causes multiple types of cancer at doses deemed safe by regulators, raising concerns about the safety of food products treated with this chemical.
Key Takeaways
- Glyphosate and Roundup caused multiple tumor types in rats, including leukemia and various organ cancers.
- 40% of leukemia deaths occurred in rats before one year of age following prenatal exposure to glyphosate.
- Commercial Roundup formulations were found to be more carcinogenic than pure glyphosate.
Summary
A new peer-reviewed study from the Ramazzini Institute — the Global Glyphosate Study, published in the journal Environmental Health on June 10, 2025 — found that glyphosate and the glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup caused cancer in laboratory rats at doses regulators currently consider safe. More than 1,000 rats were exposed to the chemicals in drinking water from prenatal life onward; the animals developed multiple tumor types, including leukemia, and liver, ovary, thyroid, kidney, bladder, mammary, nervous-system and skin cancers. Commercial Roundup formulations were more carcinogenic than pure glyphosate, and roughly 40% of leukemia deaths occurred before one year of age following prenatal exposure. The findings reinforce concerns that current 'safe' exposure thresholds for the world's most widely used herbicide may underestimate cancer risk.