Glyphosate’s Controversy Deepens as Regulators Face Renewed Scrutiny

RoundUp, built around the herbicide glyphosate and introduced by Monsanto in the 1970s, remains one of the world’s most recognized—and disputed—pesticides. Despite decades of studies showing cancer risks in lab animals, the product has stayed on the market, largely due to aggressive lobbying.

Episode eight of The Poison Detectives highlights how Monsanto, and later Bayer, repeatedly pressured regulators after the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as a “probable human carcinogen” in 2015. Monsanto accused IARC of ignoring studies favorable to glyphosate and targeted the scientists involved, prompting IARC to issue a detailed defense outlining the economic interests behind the attacks.

Although lawsuits against the company continue, glyphosate remains approved in regions such as the EU and Canada. Environmental groups in Canada have since taken the PMRA to court, arguing that regulators ignored newer research linking glyphosate to cancer, neurological impacts, and reproductive harm.

02-12-2025