What ingredient(s) in the herbicide glyphosate is associated with carcinogens?

[Valerian]

Could someone please tell me the cancer causing chemical(s) in the herbicide glyphosate (and include a raman spectroscopy graph on it if possible)?

 

[BWV]

Glyphosate is the chemical, what do you mean?

and it does not cause cancer

Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide worldwide. It is a broad spectrum herbicide and its agricultural uses increased considerably after the development of glyphosate-resistant genetically modified (GM) varieties. Since glyphosate was introduced in 1974, all regulatory assessments have established that glyphosate has low hazard potential to mammals, however, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded in March 2015 that it is probably carcinogenic. The IARC conclusion was not confirmed by the EU assessment or the recent joint WHO/FAO evaluation, both using additional evidence. Glyphosate is not the first topic of disagreement between IARC and regulatory evaluations, but has received greater attention. This review presents the scientific basis of the glyphosate health assessment conducted within the European Union (EU) renewal process, and explains the differences in the carcinogenicity assessment with IARC. Use of different data sets, particularly on long-term toxicity/carcinogenicity in rodents, could partially explain the divergent views; but methodological differences in the evaluation of the available evidence have been identified. The EU assessment did not identify a carcinogenicity hazard, revised the toxicological profile proposing new toxicological reference values, and conducted a risk assessment for some representatives uses. Two complementary exposure assessments, human-biomonitoring and food-residues-monitoring, suggests that actual exposure levels are below these reference values and do not represent a public concern.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5515989/

 

[mathwonk]

Fascinating subject. In the 8 years since the previously linked article was published, interest and controversy about this topic, whether glyphosate use is or is not cause for concern by humans, persists. As recently as today in the NYTimes, one can read that a key study supporting its use in 2000, was apparently partially written and paid for by agents of the company making the product Roundup, and is consequently now withdrawn.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/climate/glyphosate-roundup-retracted-study.html

Other recent studies claim to reaffirm the IARC conclusion of sufficient animal evidence for concern.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40490737/

Other studies supporting the need for concern seem to be authored in part by people who may perhaps also testify against chemical firms, for lawyers suing those companies, but at least they openly state their association with lawyers in the statement of possible conflicts.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37474029/

Although Bayer has not admitted that Roundup causes cancer, it has paid over 10 billion dollars compensation to people asserting that it did so.

https://www.npr.org/2020/06/24/8829...10-billion-to-resolve-roundup-cancer-lawsuits

It seems the tension between the value of Roundup in making sufficient human food supplies available, and concern over possible threats to human health, will keep this discussion ongoing.