EPA Seeks Input on Open Literature Search for Glyphosate
Stakeholders have until Nov. 23 to provide input on the results of an EPA open literature search that the agency says will “inform the hazard assessment for the upcoming updated glyphosate human health risk assessment.” Glyphosate is the active ingredient in a variety of broad-spectrum herbicidal products for residential, commercial, and agricultural uses, and is reported to be the most widely used herbicide in the world. The literature search was conducted as EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs reevaluates glyphosate as part of its registration review process, which takes place at least every 15 years. The agency describes the purpose of this review as a way to “ensure that each pesticide can carry out its intended function(s) without creating unreasonable adverse effects to human health and the environment.”
As explained on an EPA webpage about glyphosate, the agency’s “2017 risk assessment did not identify any risks of concern to human health from current uses of glyphosate when used according to the label.” EPA’s position is that glyphosate is not a carcinogen, a conclusion that differs from that of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which in 2015 classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”
“The two evaluations differed in scope and methodology,” EPA’s glyphosate website states. “IARC assesses whether a chemical is capable of causing cancer under any conditions—while EPA assesses risk under expected real-world exposures.”
EPA says it intends to update its evaluation of glyphosate’s carcinogenic potential in addition to updating its human health risk assessment for the herbicide.
Supporting material provided by EPA in the docket on Regulations.gov explains that the agency considers a range of toxicology data when reviewing pesticides. For example, EPA may consider studies focusing on acute, subchronic, and chronic toxicity as well as research regarding eye irritation, skin irritation, and skin sensitization. The agency says it also considers exposure data, including data on occupational exposures. The latest open literature search aims to capture potentially relevant articles published since EPA’s previous searches—up to March 31, 2026. The supporting material also describes the scoping and problem formulation and search strategy methods used during the search. A spreadsheet, also available in the docket, provides a list of the identified studies and includes authors, publication dates, journal titles, and article titles.
EPA encourages stakeholders to share any relevant, peer-reviewed studies for consideration as it updates its human health risk assessment for glyphosate. Further details about the public comment period can be found in a Federal Register notice published on Aug. 25. A new notice issued earlier this week announces that EPA will now accept comments on its glyphosate open literature search until Nov. 23.