Glyphosate does not cause cancer, says EU committee – EURACTIV.com

2022-06-01 02:19:10 By : Mr. Jack Ram

Economy & Jobs

Energy & Environment

By Julia Dahm | EURACTIV.com

31-05-2022 (updated: 31-05-2022 )

Whether glyphosate can be classed as a carcinogen, that is, whether it is a driver for cancer in humans, is one of the issues around the herbicide that are contested not only between stakeholders but also in the scientific community and between different public agencies. [SHUTTERSTOCK]

Comments Print Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

It is “not justified” to conclude that the herbicide glyphosate causes cancer, an expert committee inside the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has said, invoking widespread criticism from health and environmental campaigners.

“Based on a wide-ranging review of scientific evidence, the committee again concludes that classifying glyphosate as a carcinogenic is not justified”, the ECHA wrote in an opinion from the agency’s Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) on Monday (30 May).

The statement comes as part of the EU’s current risk assessment process on glyphosate, which is among the most widely used herbicides in the EU but is also very controversial.

This assessment process is set to inform the bloc’s decision on whether to renew the contentious herbicide’s approval after the current approval expires at the end of 2022.

Whether glyphosate can be classed as a carcinogen, that is, whether it is a driver for cancer in humans, is one of the issues around the herbicide that are contested not only between stakeholders but also in the scientific community and between different public agencies.

For its part, the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has previously evaluated the substance as “probably carcinogenic,” while the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has concluded it is “unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk” to humans when consumed through their diet.

With its most recent assessment, the ECHA’s Risk Assessment Committee confirms its earlier verdict classing glyphosate as not carcinogenic. However, it reaffirmed that it can cause “serious eye damage” and is also “toxic to aquatic life with long-lasting effects.”

As the EU considers renewing its approval for the controversial herbicide glyphosate, the industry is defending the assessment procedure while environmental campaigners have denounced it for not being based on “sound science”.

In a statement, the Glyphosate Renewal Group – the group of agrochemical companies which together are applying for the substance’s renewed approval – welcomed the RAC opinion and said it “remains committed to complying with all aspects of the ongoing EU regulatory process.”

However, health and environmental campaigners were less happy with the assessment, saying the agency had not taken all relevant evidence into account.

Angeliki Lyssimachou, a senior science policy officer at HEAL, the umbrella organisation of EU environmental and health associations, said the ECHA had dismissed the scientific arguments on glyphosate’s link to cancer brought forth “by independent experts.”

“The failure to recognise the carcinogenic potential of glyphosate is a mistake, and should be considered as a big step backwards in the fight against cancer,” she added.

Meanwhile, Ban Glyphosate, a coalition of NGOs, also strongly rejected the ECHA’s conclusion.

“Once again, ECHA relied unilaterally on the studies and arguments of the industry,” the organisation’s Peter Clausing said in a statement, adding the agency had dismissed “a large body of supporting evidence”.

However, the ECHA stressed that the Risk Assessment Committee had “considered an extensive volume of scientific data and many hundreds of comments received during consultations”. 

With the ECHA committee opinion concluded, it is now up to the EU Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to give its risk assessment.

However, even though the current approval of glyphosate expires at the end of this year, this is only expected to come in summer 2023 after the agency recently announced a delay in the assessment process due to an avalanche of stakeholder feedback.

Compared to the ECHA’s assessment, the EFSA’s report is set to be wider in scope, covering not only the risk classification of glyphosate as an active substance but also wider questions of exposure risks to health and the environment.

Due to an unprecedented flood of stakeholder input, relevant EU agencies announced their risk assessment on glyphosate will only come in mid-2023, even though the herbicide’s current approval will expire by the end of this year.

[Edited by Natasha Foote/Zoran Radosavljevic]

Comments Print Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

I’ve made $64,000 so far this year working online and I’m a full time student. Im using an online business opportunity I heard about and I’ve made such great money. It’s really user friendly and I’m just so happy that I found out about it. Heres what I do. 🙂 AND GOOD LUCK.:)

Open The Link———–>>> 𝘄𝘄𝘄.𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗵𝟭.𝗖𝗼𝗺

I make more then $12,000 a month online. It’s enough to comfortably replace my old jobs income, especially considering I only work about 11 to 12 hours a week from home. I was amazed how easy it was after I tried it… 🙂 AND GOOD LUCK.:)

I am creating an honest wage from home 1900 Dollars/week , that is wonderful, below a year agone i used to be unemployed during a atrocious economy. I convey God on a daily basis i used to be endowed these directions and currently it’s my duty to pay it forward and share it with everybody, Here is I started….. smile 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐋𝐔𝐂𝐊.smile 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄====)> 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭.𝐜𝐨𝐦

Making money online more than $15k just by doing simple work from home. I have received $18376 last month. Its an easy and simple job to do and its earnings are much better than regular office job and even a little child can do this and earns money. Everybody must try this job by just use the info on this page.

Open The Link———–>>> 𝐖­­𝐰­­𝐰­­.𝐖­­𝐨­­𝐫­­𝐤­­𝐒­­𝐢­­𝐭­­𝐞­­𝟐­­𝟒.𝐂­­𝐨­­𝐦

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.