Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 4 — Narrative / commentaryPeer-reviewed

Facts and fallacies in the debate on glyphosate toxicity

Mesnage, R. & Antoniou, M.N.

2018

Read source ↗ All evidence

Summary

This narrative review by Mesnage and Antoniou critically examines the scientific literature underpinning the debate over glyphosate's toxicity, distinguishing well-supported findings from those it characterises as methodologically flawed or overstated. The authors, known for scepticism of industry-aligned safety conclusions, likely argue that regulatory assessments have underweighted evidence of potential harm, particularly regarding carcinogenicity and endocrine disruption. Published in Frontiers in Public Health, the paper contributes to ongoing scientific and regulatory controversy surrounding glyphosate, the world's most widely used herbicide.

UK applicability

Glyphosate is widely used in UK arable and horticultural systems, and its regulatory status has been subject to review by the UK Health Security Agency and HSE post-Brexit; the arguments raised in this paper are directly relevant to UK re-authorisation debates and residue monitoring policy.

Key measures

Assessment of epidemiological and toxicological evidence; evaluation of regulatory risk assessments; scrutiny of study methodology and data interpretation in the glyphosate literature

Outcomes reported

The paper evaluates contested claims surrounding glyphosate's toxicity, examining the scientific evidence for and against associations with cancer, endocrine disruption, and other health endpoints. It assesses the quality and interpretation of studies cited in the glyphosate safety debate.

Theme
Nutrition & health
Subject
Pesticides & agrochemical health impacts
Study type
Narrative Review
Study design
Narrative review
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
Status
Published
Geography
International
System type
Food supply chain
Catalogue ID
XL0242

Topic tags

Pulse AI · ask about this record

Dig deeper with Pulse AI.

Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.