The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) appointed Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) has postponed its scientific review of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup.
Roundup is the most widely used herbicide in the world and an important tool farmers use to fight weeds.
The agency recently appointed nine members to the SAP and were scheduled to meet this week to discuss the herbicide. The panel is tasked with reviewing scientific issues related to the agency’s ongoing evaluation of whether the herbicide has the potential to cause cancer in humans.
In a full statement emailed last week, the EPA said the postponement is “due to recent changes in the availability of experts for the peer review panel” and to get “additional expertise in epidemiology.”
The agency believes that additional expertise in epidemiology will benefit the panel and allow for a more robust review of the data, according to Agri-Pulse. As a result, the meeting will be postponed to later this year.
CropLife America (CLA)—which represents pesticide manufacturers, formulators and distributors—had taken exception to one of the appointments by the EPA, according to Agri-Pulse.
Crop Life CEO Jay Vroom said it “expressed concerns to EPA about potential bias among certain panel members, particularly the only epidemiologist who had been named to the panel.”
CropLife sent the EPA a letter objecting the appointment of Peter Infante, an epidemiologist who CLA said, had “repeatedly testified—exclusively for plaintiffs—in chemical exposure cases against Monsanto Company, the original registrant of glyphosate, and its affiliated entities.”
Vroom said they hope the EPA is fully considering that information, considering its stated reason of postponement of the SAP.
EPA has not yet responded to questions about whether scientists who were appointed to the Science Review Board are no longer available to serve on the panel or whether it plans to replace some of the members with new individuals who have specific expertise in epidemiology, according to Agri-Pulse.
A study released by a panel of scientists in September found that glyphosate “is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk to humans.”
This study was commissioned by Monsanto in response to a report from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) that found glyphosate probably causes cancer in humans.
The EPA also released a report showing glyphosate is safe. The EPA published a 227-page paper on its website on its proposed position on glyphosate.
Monsanto said that the conclusion cited in EPA’s issue paper is “based on overwhelming weight of evidence” and that epidemiological data “clearly support this conclusion.
“We are confident that when the SAP considers the thorough and complete data on glyphosate, the panel will reaffirm EPA’s science-based classification,” Monsanto said in a statement.
Numerous agricultural groups, scientists, companies, trade groups, environmental groups and individuals have submitted comments to the EPA on the carcinogenic potential of glyphosate.
“The agency will issue another announcement once the new date for the SAP meeting on glyphosate has been determined,” according to the statement.
What is there to review when it’s already been proven that gllyphosate is toxic for humans and animals; just another stall for the criminal Monsanto.
Hi, Karolyn. There are multiple studies that have reviewed glyphosate data and those reviewers have not wavered from the science-based conclusion that glyphosate doesn’t cause cancer. https://gmoanswers.com/ask/does-glyphosate-cause-cancer
My concern with Glyphoate causing a folate deficiency in our diet, leading to neural tube defects such as the anacephalic children in the new lately. The CDC is warning of the Zika virus in this area, but interestingly enough, all the child bearing women with Zika infections DO NOT have anacephalic infants.