Glyphosate is an ingredient found in several herbicide products, including those from a major brand that has been in the news for settling a lawsuit around glyphosate’s potential link to cancer. Recent research links glyphosate to Hodgkin’s lymphoma and raises questions about the ingredient’s carcinogenic properties, however, more research is still needed.
Meet the experts: Kelly Johnson-Arbor, M.D., a toxicologist at MedStar Health; Jamie Alan, Ph.D., an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University.
Here, experts dig into the science and what they want you to know to protect your health.
What is glyphosate?
Glyphosate is an herbicide that’s widespread in the environment. “It was initially registered as an herbicide in the United States in 1974 and has been used as a primary ingredient in various formulations of weed killer,” explains Kelly Johnson-Arbor, M.D., a toxicologist at MedStar Health.
An estimated 81% of the population has had a recent exposure to glyphosate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). People are typically exposed to the weedkiller through food, skin contact, and from breathing in particles in the air, per the CDC. The biggest food sources of glyphosate include fruits, vegetables, and cereals.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set tolerance levels for glyphosate on crops, and it varies by type. The tolerance levels range from 0.1 to 400 parts per million, depending on the food.
What does the science say?
There is some data to support the link between glyphosate and cancer, but more research is needed.
A 2025 study published in the journal BMC Environmental Health exposed rats to drinking water contaminated with glyphosate alone and two commercial glyphosate-based formulas (one being Roundup) daily for two years. The doses were 0.5, 5, and 50 mg/kg of body weight, which are levels currently considered safe by regulatory agencies. Rats in all three exposure groups developed more benign and cancerous tumors in multiple areas of the body.
The researchers found that the exposed rats were more likely to develop early-onset cancer and die young from rare cancers, including leukemia, liver, ovary, and nervous system tumors. Half of the deaths from leukemia happened when the rats were less than a year old, which correlates to 35 to 40 years old in humans.
An older scientific analysis also found that exposure to glyphosate increased the risk of developing certain cancers by more than 40%.
As of now, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) lists glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” However, the EPA says that “there are no risks of concern to human health when glyphosate is used in accordance with its current label,” noting that the agency doesn’t agree with the IARC’s conclusion.
For what it’s worth, some research has also noted that glyphosate may cross the blood-brain barrier, raising concerns that it could interfere with brain and nerve health, too.
What do experts say?
It’s important to stress that the link between glyphosate and cancer in humans is still being explored. While animal studies have suggested it, the link is less certain in humans.
“It’s likely a multi-factorial process,” says Jamie Alan, Ph.D., an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University. “There is evidence that glyphosate damages DNA, causes inflammation, and causes oxidative stress, all of which may contribute to cancer formation.”
But there’s still a lot we don’t know. “At this time, the connection between glyphosate exposure and adverse health effects in humans is not fully understood,” Dr. Johnson-Arbor says.
How to protect yourself
In a perfect world, you’d avoid using pesticides and simply pull weeds by hand, Alan says.
If you still want to use pesticides around your home, Alan recommends wearing a mask and gloves and washing your hands after use. “Importantly, after you apply it, wait for it to dry,” she says. “It will be taken up into the plant after a short time, but while the plants are wet, it [may] transfer to you.”
The advice also applies to people spraying large fields, but those who are exposed to higher levels and who have more frequent exposure should consider additional protective equipment and possibly a respirator, Alan says.
It’s easy to brush off these concerns if you don’t garden or use weed killer, but it’s important to stress that glyphosate is widespread in the environment and has been detected in produce and grains.
If it’s within your budget, Alan recommends doing your best to choose organic when you buy thin-skinned produce like berries and leafy greens, along with grains. “For bananas and fruits and veggies with thick skin, it likely would not make a difference,” she says. While these organic products may still contain trace amounts of glyphosate, research suggests that it’s at far lower levels than conventional goods.
Dr. Johnson-Arbor points out that your body is equipped to deal with exposure to pesticides and will often eliminate them from your body when going to the bathroom. But it’s unclear how much repeat exposure or exposure at high levels may impact your body—and your health—in the future.
Again, these findings are preliminary and more research is needed. Before you panic, remember that the EPA also says the risks are low when used in accordance with the current label.
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