Roundup a 'probable carcinogen,' WHO report says

Tracy Loew | USA TODAY

A report published Friday in the journal The Lancet Oncology says glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup, is a "probable carcinogen."

The report is from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the France-based cancer research arm of the World Health Organization.

"This latest finding, which links Monsanto's Roundup to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and lung cancer is not the first to make these links, but it is one of the strongest indictments of glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup," said Ronnie Cummins, international director for the Organic Consumers Association.

Monsanto disagreed with the classification.

"All labeled uses of glyphosate are safe for human health and supported by one of the most extensive worldwide human health databases ever compiled on an agricultural product," Philip Miller, Monsanto's global regulatory affairs vice president, said in a written statement.

"We don't know how IARC could reach a conclusion that is such a dramatic departure from the conclusion reached by all regulatory agencies around the globe," Miller wrote. "We have issued an urgent request for appropriate personnel of the WHO to sit down with the global glyphosate taskforces and other regulatory agencies to account for the scientific studies used in their analysis and, equally as important, to account for those scientific studies that were disregarded."

Roundup is the No. 1 herbicide used in the world. Most genetically modified crops, such as corn and soybeans, are modified to withstand applications of Roundup.

The Department of Agriculture does not test food for glyphosate residues, but in 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency raised the allowed limits of glyphosate residues on fruits and vegetables.

Glyphosate is up for review this year by the EPA.

The report comes as legislatures in Oregon and other states consider mandatory labeling of genetically modified food and restricting the planting of genetically modified crops.

It prompted the Environmental Working Group to call on the FDA to require mandatory GMO labeling.

"The widespread adoption of GMO corn and soybeans has led to an explosion in the use of glyphosate — a main ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup and Dow's Enlist Duo," said Ken Cook, EWG president. "Consumers have the right to know how their food is grown and whether their food dollars are driving up the use of a probable carcinogen."

Loew also reports for the (Salem, Ore.) Statesman Journal