Estimated exposure to glyphosate in humans via environmental, occupational, and dietary pathways: an updated review of the scientific literature

Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world, but it has also been the focus of discussion and restrictions in several countries since it was declared ‘probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A)’ by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2015. Since that time, several regulatory agencies have reviewed the public literature and guideline studies submitted for regulatory purposes and have concluded that it is not a carcinogen, and revised acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) and the reference dose (RfD) have been published. Also, restrictions on use have been lifted in many locations. Risk assessment for any pesticide requires knowledge of exposure in humans and the environment, and this paper is an update on a previous review in 2016 and includes papers published after 2016. These exposure data for air, water, bystanders, the general public, domesticated animals, pets, and applicators were combined and compared to the revised exposure criteria published by regulatory agencies. In all cases, measured and estimated systemic exposures to glyphosate in humans and animals were less than the ADIs and the RfD. Based on this large dataset, these exposures represent a de minimis risk. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry An updated review of exposures to glyphosate in humans indicates de minimis risks when systemic doses and exposures via diet are compared to revised regulatory acceptable daily intakes and reference doses.