The evidence of human exposure to glyphosate: a review

Abstract

BackgroundDespite the growing and widespread use of glyphosate, a broad-spectrum herbicide and desiccant, very few studies have evaluated the extent and amount of human exposure.ObjectiveWe review documented levels of human exposure among workers in occupational settings and the general population.MethodsWe conducted a review of scientific publications on glyphosate levels in humans; 19 studies were identified, of which five investigated occupational exposure to glyphosate, 11 documented the exposure in general populations, and three reported on both.ResultsEight studies reported urinary levels in 423 occupationally and para-occupationally exposed subjects; 14 studies reported glyphosate levels in various biofluids on 3298 subjects from the general population. Average urinary levels in occupationally exposed subjects varied from 0.26 to 73.5 μg/L; environmental exposure urinary levels ranged from 0.16 to 7.6 μg/L. Only two studies measured temporal trends in exposure, both of which show increasing proportions of individuals with detectable levels of glyphosate in their urine over time.ConclusionsThe current review highlights the paucity of data on glyphosate levels among individuals exposed occupationally, para-occupationally, or environmentally to the herbicide. As such, it is challenging to fully understand the extent of exposure overall and in vulnerable populations such as children. We recommend further work to evaluate exposure across populations and geographic regions, apportion the exposure sources (e.g., occupational, household use, food residues), and understand temporal trends.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12940-018-0435-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Concentration Distribution and Analysis of Urinary Glyphosate and Its Metabolites in Occupationally Exposed Workers in Eastern China

“…During occupational exposure, GLY enters the human circulation mainly through the respiratory tract, but only ≤2% of the sediment on the skin enters the internal circulation [33]. A review by Gillezeau et al [34] documented levels of human exposure to GLY among workers in occupational settings and the general population. Urinary GLY concentrations were assessed in 423 people who were occupationally and para-occupationally exposed from eight studied reports, as well as 3298 general subjects' biological samples from 14 research reports.…”

The impact and toxicity of glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides on health and immunity

“…Glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA can be found in soils, water, plants, food, and animals (Alferness and Iwata 2002;Caloni et al 2016;El-Gendy et al 2018). Glyphosate is detected in human urine, blood, and maternal milk, with urinary levels of 0.26-73.5 lg/L in exposed workers and 0.16-7.6 lg/L in the general population (Acquavella et al 2004;Gillezeau et al 2019). Glyphosate most likely enters the body via the dermal, oral and pulmonary routes (Martinez et al 1990;Williams et al 2000).…”

Glyphosate and AMPA levels in human urine samples and their correlation with food consumption: results of the cross-sectional KarMeN study in Germany

“…Valid data on the extent of human exposure to glyphosate in the general population are essential for scientifically substantiated risk assessments. Human exposure can be monitored by measuring the urinary levels of glyphosate and AMPA, although the available data sets are very limited in number (Gillezeau et al 2019). EFSA reported that published glyphosate levels in human urine samples resulting from dietary intake of glyphosate represented 0.1-0.66% of the ADI, while the maximum levels of AMPA in human urine samples were estimated to remain below 0.1% of the ADI (EFSA 2015).…”

“…The maximum values were 2.80 µg glyphosate/L and 1.88 µg AMPA/L, both of them measured in samples from 2013. With regard to studies from additional countries dealing with human exposure to glyphosate, we refer to the current review of Gillezeau et al (2019). This review listed three studies investigating the association between glyphosate/AMPA exposure and food consumption or dietary pattern in the general population (no occupational exposure) (Knudsen et al 2017;McGuire et al 2016;Parvez et al 2018).…”