Bio: Martin Wilks is an Adjunct Professor of Toxicology in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Basel. He is a member of the Scientific Panel on Plant Protection Products and their Residues (PPR) of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and chairs the Commission on Pesticides and Biocidal Products of the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). He is also Secretary-General of EUROTOX and President-elect of IUTOX.

Abstract: Glyphosate is a phosphinic acid derivative first introduced as a non-selective herbicide in 1974 and is one of the world’s most widely used pesticides. It’s herbicidal mode of action is related to interference with the shikimate pathway which produces aromatic amino acids in microorganisms and plants. This pathway does not exist in mammals. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans” based on "limited" evidence of cancer in humans from epidemiological studies of exposures to glyphosate-based formulations, and "sufficient" evidence of cancer in experimental animals from studies of "pure" glyphosate (1). Following a major review of all available studies including OECD guideline-compliant studies and the peer-reviewed literature, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded in 2023 that there were no critical areas of concern in the risk assessment and endorsed the European Chemical Agency’s decision not to classify glyphosate as a carcinogen (2). The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also concluded in 2022 that glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans (3). This presentation will focus on the commonalities and differences in the agencies’ conclusions as well as the importance of considering both active ingredient and formulation in the assessment process.

References: 

1. Guyton KZ, et al. Lancet Oncol. 2015 May;16(5):490-1

2. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Glyphosate Factsheet. https://www.efsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2023-07/glyphosate_factsheet.pdf (accessed 21 March 2025);

3. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Glyphosate. https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/glyphosate- human-health (accessed 21 March 2025)