May 3, 2016

Glyphosate not cause of cancer, EPA concludes

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has declared glyphosate as "not likely to be carcinogenic to humans.

The outcome is stated in the EPA's Cancer Assessment Review Committee (CARC), drawing its conclusion from strong evidences on glyphosate, Business Wire reported.

As part of a registration review, the EPA is also the third regulator to dismiss glyphosate as potentially cancer-causing. In November last year, the herbicide not likely a carcinogen threat towards human health, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said. Additionally, the Canadian Pest Management Regulatory Authority (PMRA) arrived at the same conclusion.

"No pesticide regulator in the world considers glyphosate to be a carcinogen, and this conclusion by the EPA once again reinforces this important fact," said Hugh Grant, Monsanto's chairman and CEO. "Glyphosate has a 40-year history of safe and effective use. Unfortunately, last year's inconsistent classification by IARC generated unwarranted concern and confusion about this important agricultural tool. This rigorous assessment of the data by EPA builds on the sound conclusions of both the European and Canadian regulatory authorities and once again, makes it clear that glyphosate does not cause cancer."

The EPA's recent statement on glyphosate challenges the non-standard approach and allegedly inconsistent classification by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) which claimed glyphosate to be a "probable carcinogen" in March 2015.

IARC's assessment was later found to be flawed, with weaknesses in the agency's opinion attributed to the "inclusion of positive findings from studies with known limitations, the lack of reproducible positive findings, and the omission of negative findings from reliable studies," the EPA said.

To assess glyphosate and other pesticides for health and safety, the EPA requires companies to fund, perform and submit a wide-range of studies for review by EPA scientists.

Monsanto submitted such data to the agency and these are based on studies conducted according to the internationally accepted Good Laboratory Practices (GLP).

- Business Wire / Monsanto