Is Glyphosate a Pesticide? What You Need to Know
Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide that EPA first registered in 1974 for use on many crops and in non-crop sites. It is a pesticide, because herbicides are a class of pesticide, and federal pesticide law regulates it. It works by inhibiting the plant enzyme EPSP synthase. Farmers use it to control weeds in crops such as corn, cotton, canola and soybean. In the environment it binds to soil and can reach surface water. Agencies disagree on cancer. IARC classifies it as probably carcinogenic to humans, and EPA does not. US and EU reviews find it safe at label use, but exposure studies report neurotoxic effects. Weeds can become resistant, and FIFRA now limits glyphosate lawsuits in state courts.
What Is Glyphosate?
Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide registered by EPA for use on many crops and in non-crop sites. A 2007 study by Maurício Ribeiro Marques from São Paulo State University calls glyphosate the commercial EPSP synthase inhibitor. It is the most widely used herbicide active ingredient in the United States and throughout the world.
Glyphosate carries EPA registration for forests, rights-of-way, pasture, rangeland, wildlife-management areas and residential settings. Roundup has become synonymous with the active ingredient glyphosate, because glyphosate was the original molecule in the first Roundup formulations.
Is Glyphosate a Pesticide?
Yes. Glyphosate is a herbicide, which is a class of pesticide, so the federal pesticide law regulates this pesticide. A 2021 study by Robert Hertel calls glyphosate a nonselective herbicide that kills weeds and other plants competing with crops.
Pesticides need EPA registration, which requires meeting the federal safety standard when used according to the label. The registration holds only when users follow the label.
EPA has established tolerances for glyphosate on a wide range of human and animal food crops. Glyphosate is applied as a postemergent herbicide to control weeds in many settings.
Is Roundup a Pesticide?
Yes. Roundup is a brand of herbicide products, and all of them are pesticide products. Roundup is one of the most widely used pesticides in the world.
Some products carry the Roundup name and contain no glyphosate at all. The label of each product communicates the active ingredient clearly. The label is therefore the place to check what a product contains.
The first generation of polyethoxylated amine surfactants in Roundup are markedly more toxic than glyphosate. A 2019 study by Robin Mesnage from King’s College London reports this finding. Roundup products differ in their formulation, so the product name does not tell the full story.
How Does Glyphosate Work?
Glyphosate works by inhibiting the plant enzyme EPSP synthase, which helps produce certain amino acids needed for proteins. Glyphosate therefore stops the growth of the plant.
Glyphosate acts as a systemic herbicide that moves freely within the plant and controls it down to the root. A 2021 study titled Molecular mechanisms underlying glyphosate resistance in bacteria confirms that glyphosate specifically inhibits EPSP synthase.
Bacteria evolve glyphosate resistance by acquiring mutations in the EPSP synthase gene. Robert Hertel documents this change in Environmental Microbiology. Glyphosate-tolerant corn and soybean carry a tolerant version of the enzyme.
Where Is Glyphosate Used?
Glyphosate is used to control weeds in agricultural crops such as corn, cotton, canola and soybean. EPA lists many more crops and sites. Agriculture accounts for the bulk of glyphosate use in Minnesota, particularly on glyphosate-tolerant corn and soybean.
Forestry managers use glyphosate in site preparation for tree planting. It kills competing weedy vegetation while trees are first established after a logging event or fire. Non-crop sites include conservation land, pastures, turf grass, parks and paved areas.
Since the late 1970s, the volume of glyphosate-based herbicides applied has increased approximately 100-fold. A 2016 study by John Peterson Myers from Carnegie Mellon University reports this growth in a consensus statement.
How Does Glyphosate Move Through the Environment?
Glyphosate moves through the environment mainly by binding to soil and by reaching surface water. Glyphosate binds tightly to soil, which limits its mobility. It is not expected to reach groundwater.
Spray drift during application carries glyphosate to surface water. Eroded soil particles transport bound glyphosate residues to surface water as well. In Minnesota, glyphosate was detected in surface water but not in groundwater.
A 2024 study by Waqas Mohy-Ud-Din from the University of Agriculture Faisalabad Pakistan reviews measured levels. Glyphosate was detected in soil at 2 mg/kg in the European Union. It reached 328 µg/L in stream water in the USA.
Surface water in the USA showed 7.6 µg/L. Groundwater in Denmark showed 2.5 µg/L.
How Is Glyphosate Regulated in the United States?
Glyphosate is regulated in the United States by EPA, which first registered glyphosate in 1974. EPA is currently reevaluating glyphosate under a program called registration review.
The Ninth Circuit vacated the human health portion of the 2020 interim decision in June 2022. This federal appeals court therefore changed EPA’s human health finding. EPA released a comprehensive open literature search for public comment in August 2026.
EPA issues the regulations that set tolerances for glyphosate. Tolerances cap the residue a food can contain. They cover human and animal food crops, including corn, soybean, oil seeds, grains, and some fruits and vegetables. They range from 0.1 to 400 parts per million (ppm).
The Food and Drug Administration ensures that residues in domestic and imported foods do not exceed the EPA limits. A 2016 study by Ellen T Chang describes the cancer literature that regulators weigh as methodologically limited.
Is Glyphosate Approved in the European Union?
Yes. Glyphosate is approved as an active substance in the European Union until 15 December 2033, with conditions and restrictions. A 2023 European Food Safety Authority page states this.
The European Commission decided in November 2023 on the renewal of the approval. The Glyphosate Renewal Group of companies applied for the renewal. The Assessment Group on Glyphosate, made of four Member States, carried out the initial assessment.
EU pesticide approval requires that an active substance is not expected to harm human or animal health or the environment. A 2023 study titled Peer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance glyphosate gives the conclusions.
Is Glyphosate a Carcinogen?
It depends. IARC classifies glyphosate as probably carcinogenic to humans, while EPA does not. In its 2017 assessment, EPA concluded that glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans.
A meta-analysis found a 41 percent increase in non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk among exposed people. A 2019 study in Mutation Research Reviews in Mutation Research from the University of California Berkeley reports this result. The analysis pooled the Agricultural Health Study and five case-control studies.
A 2026 study by Joel J Gagnier from Western University links higher glyphosate exposure consistently to increased lymphoma risk. Ellen T Chang from the Center for Epidemiology and Computational Biology reached a more cautious view in a study. The literature is methodologically limited, and its findings are not strong or consistent.
A causal relationship has not been established between glyphosate exposure and risk of any type of lymphohematopoietic cancer.
What Did IARC Conclude About Glyphosate?
IARC concluded in a statement about glyphosate that it is probably carcinogenic to humans, in Group 2A. A working group of 17 experts from 11 countries evaluated glyphosate.
The experts met from 3 to 10 March 2015. The panel evaluated five organophosphate chemicals: diazinon, glyphosate, malathion, parathion and tetrachlorvinphos. IARC found strong evidence for genotoxicity, both for pure glyphosate and for glyphosate formulations.
The IARC Monographs evaluation is a hazard classification. The probability of developing cancer depends on the type and extent of exposure. Real-world exposures are to glyphosate in formulated products.
A 2021 study by Dennis D Weisenburger says IARC reached this conclusion mainly for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Why Do Regulators Disagree About Glyphosate?
Regulators disagree about glyphosate because they judge cancer risk with different scope and methodology. IARC asks whether a chemical can cause cancer under any conditions.
A 2017 study by Jose V Tarazona says different rodent data sets could partially explain the divergent views. The IARC conclusion was not confirmed by the EU assessment or the joint WHO/FAO evaluation.
The Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues is an expert panel that found glyphosate unlikely to be a carcinogen. The EU peer review of glyphosate identified no critical areas of concern.
Cancer risk rests on the type and extent of exposure, so hazard and risk are separate questions.
Is Glyphosate Safe for Humans?
It depends. US and EU reviews find glyphosate safe for humans at label use, but exposure studies report neurotoxic effects.
The 2017 EPA risk assessment did not identify risks of concern to human health from current label uses. Glyphosate has relatively low acute toxicity by oral, dermal and inhalation exposure routes. EPA found no indication that children are more sensitive to glyphosate.
A 2022 study by Carmen Costas-Ferreira reports that exposure to glyphosate or its commercial formulations induces several neurotoxic effects. The study is a systematic review from the Department of Functional Biology and Health Sciences.
Does Glyphosate Show Up in Food?
Yes. Glyphosate residues show up in food: about 59 percent of corn and soy samples tested positive for glyphosate and/or glufosinate. All samples were below EPA tolerance levels.
The Food and Drug Administration tested 879 corn, soybean, milk and egg samples against EPA limits. EPA tolerances range from 0.1 to 400 ppm. Trace amounts may be present in some fruits, vegetables and cereals.
Urinary glyphosate levels in the general population ranged from 0.16 to 7.6 µg/L. A 2019 study by Christina Gillezeau reviewed 14 general-population studies for this range.
Is Glyphosate Harmful to Wildlife?
It depends. Glyphosate is harmful to wildlife mainly through its risk to non-target plants near the application site. EPA’s 2015 ecological risk assessment identified potential risks to terrestrial and aquatic plants, mammals, and birds.
Formal Endangered Species Act consultation with the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service is ongoing. The Endangered Species Act requires consultation before actions that could affect listed species. EPA protects the monarch butterfly through pollinator measures.
A 2026 study in Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology finds invertebrates can exhibit equal or greater long-term sensitivity versus aquatic plants.
Can Weeds Become Resistant to Glyphosate?
Yes. Glyphosate resistance is documented in weeds, so weeds can become resistant to glyphosate, including in Minnesota. Herbicide resistance is the inherited ability of a plant to survive a herbicide application.
Common ragweed, giant ragweed and tall waterhemp have confirmed glyphosate resistance in Minnesota. Repeated glyphosate use without diversified weed management increased selection for resistant weeds.
There are now 48 weed species that have evolved glyphosate resistance. A 2021 study by Yousoon Baek from the University of Illinois reports this count. Resistance mechanisms include single, double and triple amino acid substitutions in the target-site gene.
Has Glyphosate Been Linked to Lawsuits?
Yes. Glyphosate has been linked to lawsuits that FIFRA now limits in state courts.
FIFRA is the federal law that governs pesticide registration and labeling. The IARC report led to tens of thousands of lawsuits against Monsanto over how Roundup products were labeled.
In 2026, the Supreme Court held that FIFRA expressly preempts a state-law failure-to-warn claim against Monsanto. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the 7-2 opinion. The claim would require a label requirement different from the EPA label. Justice Jackson dissented and said adding a cancer warning does not conflict with the law.
A 2016 study titled Systematic review and meta-analysis of glyphosate exposure and risk of lymphohematopoietic cancers reports inconsistent findings. The overall body of literature is methodologically limited. Strong or consistent findings are absent.
