Cornucopia’s Take: Last year, the World Health Organization deemed glyphosate a probable carcinogen, and, even with vocal consumer concerns from around the world, the EPA has stood by Monsanto’s claims that it’s chemical is safe for humans. This week a panel is meeting in Washington to advise the EPA on glyphosate, a chemical not allowed in organics. We will watch for the outcome.
Serious scrutiny needed as EPA seeks input on cancer ties to Monsanto herbicide
The Hill
by Carey Gillam
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The glyphosate geeks are gathering in Washington this week. After a two-month delay, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is holding four days of meetings aimed at examining the evidence that does or does not tie the world’s most widely used herbicide — glyphosate — to cancer.
Scientists, activists and agricultural industry leaders are all expected to show up to either defend or attack the chemical that is currently at the center of international controversy. More than 250,000 public comments have been filed with the EPA ahead of the Dec. 13-16 meetings, and the agency is girding for more than 10 hours of personally delivered public comments before a specially appointed scientific advisory panel gets down to work.
The panel assignment: To offer advice on how the EPA should evaluate and interpret relevant data and how it all should translate into a EPA “carcinogen risk” classification for glyphosate.
