Jingjing Hosseini, a professor of epidemiology and pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said that despite some negative effects that could take longer or be worse, “there remains substantial evidence that there’s a safe dose (of glyphosate), so the scientific evidence strongly supports its safety.”

“The best way to reduce exposure is to minimize consumption,” she added.

Cynthia West, a member of the state chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility and who works as an executive director of the Maryland Pesticides Coalition, said that she believes that consumers should be made aware of Monsanto’s products before deciding if to purchase them. “Consumers need to make their own health-based decision and take into consideration the amount of exposure they are prepared to engage in if it includes exposure from these products,” she told the magazine.

Monsanto did not respond to a request for comment.

The chemical industry, as well as several independent health groups, have criticized glyphosate’s safety, arguing that it’s not sufficiently regulated. Glyphosate is one of the world’s most widely used weed-control agents. It’s been used extensively as a weed killer for more than 100 years and is now being used more widely for other purposes, such as agriculture and environmental remediation. But it has gotten a bad rep among some environmental groups for its tendency to spread cancer-causing toxins throughout the food supply and for the way it can induce cancer in mammals.

“The science is clear about glyphosate and it’s carcinogenic,” said Robert West, a professor emeritus of agricultural sciences at Arizona State University.

But there are significant concerns about the safety of glyphosate when used as a pesticide. Roundup kills most of the weeds growing in fields. But it also kills other species of vegetation that are susceptible to glyphosate toxicity or to herbicide-resistance weeds. Some studies have found Roundup in the urine of farm workers, which could be of interest to regulators.

“We are taking multiple measures to minimize glyphosate risks — through research, education, development of the glyphosate-resistant weed control chemicals, and our use of other herbicides,” Monsanto said in a written statement.

West said that she understands that these new studies confirm her suspicions that glyphosate is a “very risky thing” and that she wants more research on the topic. But she remains troubled by the studies’ large number of cases of tumors in animals, including from a mouse study