Roundup Probably Doesn’t Cause Cancer, European Agency Says

The report by the European Food Safety Agency concerned glyphosate, first used in the 1970s as the key ingredient in the Monsanto-made herbicide Roundup, and now made generically around the world.

Jose Tarazona, head of EFSAs Pesticides Unit, said that EFSA will use the new toxicological values during its review of the maximum residue levels for glyphosate in food, which will be carried out in cooperation with Member States in 2016.

The EU’s EFSA watchdog “concluded that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic hazard to humans and the evidence does not support classification with regard to its carcinogenic potential according to (EU regulation)”.

The European Commission will use the finding in deciding whether to keep glyphosate on the EU’s list of approved active substances.

The ruling removes barriers to the re-licensing of glyphosate, despite the conclusion published by the worldwide Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) on March 20, this year that found glyphosate was “probably carcinogenic to humans”.

However, based on EFSA’s findings – and despite taking the IARC’s report into account – the EFSA claimed that the substance was not likely to cause cancer.

“Regarding carcinogenicity, it is unlikely this material is carcinogenic”.

Even with the decision that glyphosate is “unlikely” to cause cancer, the scientists set acceptable exposure levels for people who work with the chemical at 0.1 mg per kilogram of body weight per day and consumer intake of the chemical at 0.5 mg per kilogram of body weight per day.

It will also be used by EU Member States to re-assess the safety of pesticide products containing glyphosate that are used in their territories.

The European Union must decide over the coming months whether to renew existing approval for glyphosate use.

“Although glyphosate is always used in combination with a range of other often toxic chemicals, and [these mixes] can be 1000 times more toxic than glyphosate acting on its own, the EFSA insists on looking at the impact of glyphosate alone”.

EFSA also says its assessment included more evidence and studies than the IARC’s.

Other users of glyphosate and Monsanto welcomed the report. Chairman Richard Garnett said the conclusion confirms previous evaluations by regulatory authorities around the world. Coincidence? David Carpintero, a Monsanto spokesman, said the company had a “special role” in the group as the “first point of contact” with regulatory authorities.

“Much of its report is taken directly from unpublished studies commissioned by glyphosate producers”, said Achterberg.