Portal latinoamericano de toxicología
IARC: Glyphosate, probably carcinogenic to humans
It had also been detected “in the blood and urine of agricultural workers, indicating absorption”.
Roundup weedkiller contains glyphosate which the WHO has said is ‘probably carcinogenic to humans’ Photo: AlamyAndreas Kortenkamp, professor of human toxicology at Brunel University, London, said that the people who are most at risk are those applying the weedkiller to their plants.“Professional gardeners would industrial strength glyphosate to totally wipe their garden of all plants. Amateur gardeners can also buy it as Roundup in a formulation which is not as strong,” he said.“Anyone who sprays it could get a whiff of it. People should be very careful with this stuff and consider whether they need it. Home gardeners should hand weed to be on the safe side.”The IARC asked 17 experts to assess five organophosphate pesticides. Glyphosate, the most widely used of the five, was placed in category 2A, meaning “possibly carcinogenic to humans”, following evidence from studies carried out in America, Canada and Sweden.
Amateur gardeners have been urged to hand week rather than use Glyphosate, (Andrew Crowley)Prof Kortenkamp said that the IARC’s announcement would be taken very seriously by national agricultural regulatory bodies."It is one of the most widely used herbicides worldwide," he said. "The important thing is 2A categorisation in the IARC is equivalent to 1B in the European Union, which means it will not receive authorisation."Prof Kortenkamp said that glyphosate is designed to inhibit an enzyme that is very important for photosynthesis.“It gets into the plant, then shrivels it up so it turns brown and then dies,” he said. “It is marvellous for plants with horrible invasive roots like dandelions or bind weed”.Glyphosate is used in more than 750 different products for agriculture, forestry, urban, and home applications worldwide.The IARC’s report said that its use has increased sharply with the development of genetically modified glyphosate-resistant crop varieties.In one study the IARC report cited, glyphosate induced a positive trend in the incidence of a rare tumour, renal tubule carcinoma, in male mice. In another study, there was a positive trend for haemangiosarcoma in male mice.The IARC’s findings contradict a study by the German government earlier this year which concluded that glyphosate was “unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk in humans”.Monsanto, a multinational agriculture company, which markets glyphosate as Roundup, issued a statement saying it disagrees with the IARC’s classification.Dr. Philip Miller, Vice President Global Regulatory Affairs, Monsanto, said: “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.”He said that Monsanto has issued an “urgent request” for WHO to account for which scientific studies were used in their analysis and which were “disregarded”.A Defra spokesperson said that Glyphosate is currently approved as a herbicide in the EU, but it is “under review to ensure it is safe”.They said: “There are extensive regulations in place so that people and the environment are protected from pesticides.”
Glyphosate is one of the world’s most popular pesticides (Getty Images)Note from SerTox: article send by Juan Piola (London)
_______________________________________________________________________________________See PDF related: Carcinogenicity of tetrachlorvinphos, parathion, malathion, diazinon, and glyphosate
See also in The Lancet.com: Carcinogenicity of tetrachlorvinphos, parathion, malathion, diazinon, and glyphosate
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Comments from Monsanto
Glyphosate- IARC 2A Carcinogen Classification
Glyphosate- IARC 2A Carcinogen Classification
by Daniel
Goldstein, posted on 10:53 AM, March 20, 2015
NOTE- For those who do not know me- Author is a
full time employee of Monsanto, leading manufacturer of glyphosate.
IARC has just posted a document classifying glyphosate as a Class 2A human
carcinogen. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(15)70134-8/abstract
This conclusion is in stark disagreement with the EPA and with the
comprehensive assessment of glyphosate recently released as a part of the EU
re-registration process for glyphosate by the German BfR, both of which
conclude a lack of cancer risk with this molecule.
The primary association was with Non-Hodgekin’s Lymphoma based on four
case-control studies suggesting possible increased risk. However, the very
large and prospective cohort Agricultural Health Study found no such
association.
The animal data cited relates to sporadi c tumor findings in individual studies
which do not demonstrate dose- response and which have failed to appear in
multiple studies (glyphosate had six independent registrants and hence multiple
data sets, now merged since it is off-patent).
While they provide citations for genotoxicity, they appear to have discounted a
very large number of studies indicating a lack of genotoxic effects.
I would be happy to provide references and additional information to anyone who
is interested.
Current regulatory opinions provided below. (hyperlinks links may not be live
below)
Dan (daniel.a.goldstein@monsanto.com)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
“EPA has concluded that glyphosate does not pose a cancer risk to humans.” 2013
Federal Register Notice (FR 25396, Vol. 78, No. 84, May 1, 2013).
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
“Several chronic toxicity/carcinogenicity studies…resulted in no effects based
on the parameters ex amined, or resulted in findings that glyphosate was not
carcinogenic in the study” and “Glyphosate does not cause mutations.” U.S. EPA.
(1993) EPA: Glyphosate. EPA-738-F-93-011. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Washington, D.C.
German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR)
“In epidemiological studies in humans, there was no evidence of carcinogenicity
and there were no effects on fertility, reproduction and development of
neurotoxicity that might be attributed to glyphosate.” Glyphosate Renewal
Assessment Report, Germany, Rapporteur Member State for the European Renewal of
Approval for Glyphosate (2014)
Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority
“The APVMA currently has no data before it suggesting that glyphosate products
registered in Australia and used according to label instructions present any
unacceptable risks to human health, the environment and trade. … The weight and
strength of evidence shows that glyphosat e is not genotoxic, carcinogenic or
neurotoxic.” Australian Government, Australian Pesticides and Veterinary
Medicines Authority (2013)
WHO/FAO- JMPR
The Toxicological Monograph presented to the 2004 Joint FAO / WHO Meeting on
Pesticide Residues concluded, “In view of the absence of a carcinogenic
potential in animals and the lack of genotoxicity in standard tests, the
Meeting concluded that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk to
humans.”