The Environmental Protection Agency released a strong statement today reaffirming there’s no link between glyphosate and cancer.
“EPA has found no risks to public health from the current registered uses of glyphosate,” said EPAAdministrator Andrew Wheeler.
The statement stands in stark contrast to the multi-million-dollar jury verdicts from California. In those cases, juries found in favor of plaintiffs’ claiming the active ingredient in Round-Up caused their cancer. So EPA’s statement tends to support my earlier comments about those jury verdicts: courtrooms don’t decide science.
The EPA is currently reviewing its preliminary assessment on glyphosate from 2017. The federal agency recieved lots and lots of comments from people concerned about glyphosate and a possible cancer link. And people were also concerned about Round-Up’s potential effects on Monarch butterflies and pollinator health. So the EPA is reviewing these issues. (Side note: these are both false claims trumped up by the activist-environmental organizations.)
But EPA again found there was no link between the herbicide and cancer. And that finding is consistent with lots of other regulartory agencies and bodies around the world.
What about pollinator health and Monarch butterflies? EPA acknowledges that there might be some impact. But any impact is limited to the point of application. And that “the benefits that glyphosate confers to growers outweigh the geographically limited risks to non-target organisms.”
So common sense prevails….again.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue also applauded EPA’s conclusion. “If we are going to feed 10 billion people by 2050, we are going to need all the tools at our disposal, which includes the use the glyphosate,” Perdue said. “USDA applauds EPA’s proposed registration decision as it is science-based and consistent with the findings of other regulatory authorities that glyphosate does not pose a carcinogenic hazard to humans.”
Honestly, I’m a little frustrated that we’ve spent so much time, money, and resources reaffirming what we’ve known the whole time. And it annoys me that some ridiculous organization can make a false claim, spread it around the internet, and cause this constant reassessment.
But I’m also happy that EPA released the statement and made such a bold and clear conclusion. It won’t quiet all the grumbles, but it’s just another notch in the belt confirming what so many have been saying for so long.
There’s no link between glyphosate and cancer!!
