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Abstract
Glyphosate-based herbicides (GlyBH), including Roundup, are the most widely used pesticides
worldwide. Their uses have increased exponentially since their introduction on the
market. Residue levels in food or water, as well as human exposures, are escalating.
We have reviewed the toxic effects of GlyBH measured below regulatory limits by evaluating
the published literature and regulatory reports. We reveal a coherent body of evidence
indicating that GlyBH could be toxic below the regulatory lowest observed adverse
effect level for chronic toxic effects. It includes teratogenic, tumorigenic and hepatorenal
effects. They could be explained by endocrine disruption and oxidative stress, causing
metabolic alterations, depending on dose and exposure time. Some effects were detected
in the range of the recommended acceptable daily intake. Toxic effects of commercial
formulations can also be explained by GlyBH adjuvants, which have their own toxicity,
but also enhance glyphosate toxicity. These challenge the assumption of safety of
GlyBH at the levels at which they contaminate food and the environment, albeit these
levels may fall below regulatory thresholds. Neurodevelopmental, reproductive, and
transgenerational effects of GlyBH must be revisited, since a growing body of knowledge
suggests the predominance of endocrine disrupting mechanisms caused by environmentally
relevant levels of exposure.