Source and Effects of Glyphosate Pollution on Public Health: A Review

Glyphosate is the most popular herbicide because it can be used to control various weeds as wellas enhancing the yield of commercial crops. Nonetheless, the use of glyphosate has increased toagricultural and non-agricultural uses, which resulted in the increase in geo- and biosphericcontamination and human exposure issues. This review analyzes the persistence of glyphosate inthe environment, including soil and water ecosystems, as well as in the food chain, and evaluatesits exposure by multiple pathways. Active glyphosate and its primary degradation product,aminomethylphosphonic acid, are among the most frequently detected herbicide metabolites inhuman and environmental exposure matrices, corroborating the evidence for human andenvironmental exposure. Glyphosate exerts varied and potentially overlapping toxic effects,including oxidative and other metabolic disruptions, geno- and biotrophic dysregulation, anddegradation of the microbiome. Glyphosate-induced disruptions ecologically include reductions insoil and water microbial communities, invertebrate and vertebrate organisms, and overallbiodiversity. Modern ecological theories are challenged by the disruption’s glyphosate is knownto cause. Numerous toxicological and ecological hypotheses contend for dominance explainingglyphosate-induced disruptions of natural ecosystems. However, the cumulative, low-dose effectsof glyphosate, as well as the effects of its co-formulants in glyphosate-containing herbicidepreparations, are some of the gaps in the literature. Evidence-based global glyphosate regulation,coordinated monitoring, harmonized control measures, and collaborative cross-national researchare urgently needed to address these issues. This review strives to reinforce the need forcoordinated international monitoring and the enforcement of glyphosate use regulations for theprotection of human health and biodiversity.