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The approach used to categorise evidence strength for each substance is based on HBM4EU (2022b). For some effects, the categorisation itself has been updated to reflect new evidence, based on expert judgement. Specifically for glyphosate's suspected carcinogenic effects, the strength of evidence was assessed in HBM4EU based on the evaluation conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Of note, this evaluation diverges from the conclusions of other authorities, most notably the European Chemicals Agency and the .

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References and footnotes

  1. The evaluation of glyphosate’s potential carcinogenic effects as part of the regulatory process for pesticides has attracted increasing attention, particularly following the decision of the International Agency for Research on Cancer to classify it as probably carcinogenic. In Europe, the current risk assessment for glyphosate conducted by the European Chemicals Agency holds that classifying glyphosate as a carcinogen is not justified in light of available scientific evidence, although it finds that glyphosate causes serious eye damage and is toxic to aquatic life. As EFSA is expected to conclude a peer review of its own, separate assessment in July 2023, the current approval for using glyphosate in the EU has been extended until 15 December 2023. The use of different approaches and available data in these assessments may help explain their diverging conclusions.
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