EPA and HHS join forces to review glyphosate safety data
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services signed an agreement to coordinate research on glyphosate's health effects, focusing on toxicology, exposure, and biomonitoring. The partnership aims to identify data gaps in the ongoing registration review, which is expected to conclude in 2027. This collaboration comes amid political tensions over the herbicide's safety.
The agreement creates a joint technical working group spanning multiple federal agencies, including the National Cancer Institute, the National Toxicology Program, and the FDA. Their focus areas include glyphosate formulation toxicology, occupational epidemiology, biomonitoring, and dietary exposure pathways, with emerging topics like microbiome effects also on the agenda.
The EPA's revised human health risk assessment, including its evaluation of glyphosate's carcinogenic potential, is slated for completion in early 2027. Working-group materials will be posted to Docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0361 as finalized. The review will systematically examine peer-reviewed research published since the agency's previous assessment, covering preharvest dietary applications and occupational exposure scenarios.
This partnership could shape how federal agencies communicate glyphosate's risks to farmers, food producers, and consumers. If the coordinated research identifies new data gaps, it may influence future registration decisions and agricultural practices. The outcome could also affect public trust in regulatory science, given the political tensions surrounding the herbicide's safety profile.