Monsanto Roundup Cancer Risk Almost Classified as “Known Carcinogen”: Report

An international group of cancer experts almost classified the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer as a “known” human carcinogen, but ultimately rated it as a “probable” cancer causing agent instead, according to new reports. 

In March, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an arm of the World Health Organization (WHO), announced that it had determined that the herbicide glyphosate probably causes cancer in humans. The designation has raised questions about the safety of the world’s most popular weed killer, Monsanto’s Roundup, and outraged the agricultural industry giant.

In a story published this week in Harper’s Magazine, it is suggested that the weed killer may have gotten off light, as the IARC considered labeling it in the more serious “known human carcinogen” category before making its final determination. The revelation indicates that the IARC was almost certain, due to the evidence it had collected, that glyphosate is a cancer-causing agent.

Learn More About

Roundup Lawsuits

Exposure to RoundUp May Increase Risk of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and Other Cancers. Lawsuits Reviewed Nationwide.

Learn More About this Lawsuit See If You Qualify For Compensation

Researchers with IARC say that the only thing that stopped a “known carcinogen” designation was the lack of a link in a study on Iowa and California farmers. However, they point out that the evidence against glyphosate is similar to evidence against benzene, which is now universally recognized as a cancer-causing agent. The researchers also made comparisons to tobacco, asbestos and arsenic.

Monsanto has said that the IARC’s conclusions were agenda-driven and based on “junk science,” and has said it is convening its own independent panel to review the cancer risks of Roundup, which is the most widely used weed killer in the world.

Consumer use of Roundup began to skyrocket in the mid 1990s, after Monsanto introduced genetically engineered crops to withstand treatment with Roundup, killing the weeds and not the crops. Genetically modified crops, like corn and soybean, are branded as being “Roundup Ready.” Some weeds have developed resistance to glyphosate, thus forcing farmers to use higher quantities of Roundup.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimated agricultural use of glyphosate increased drastically from 110 million pounds in 2002, now to more than 283 million pounds in 2012.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in April that it plans to address the safety concerns of glyphosate during the regular EPA safety review hearing occurring soon. Researchers warn pesticides are commonly detected in the air, food and water near areas that have been sprayed.

Battle Over Roundup Bans

Since the IARC designation, there have been moves to ban the use of Roundup. Hawaii County, which encompasses the state’s “Big Island,” is set to vote next week on whether to ban the use of Roundup by government agencies. It would leave intact the ability of individual residents to use the herbicide.

The vote on Bill 71 was delayed following extensive testimony at an August 4 meeting, when the vote was originally scheduled. However, 45 people ended up testifying at the meeting, with the vast majority of them calling for the herbicide to be banned in Hawaii County.

Some residents testified that they had been sprayed directly with Roundup by trucks going down the road. The county itself pays $30,000 annually to buy Roundup, and the ban would stop that use entirely. It accounts for between 25-30% of herbicide use by the county.

A controversial bill recently passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, which is now pending in the Senate, could prevent states from limiting or ban the use of Roundup. The legislation, known as the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, contains provisions which critics say would prevent proper and informative labeling of genetically modified organism (GMO) crops, and would also make it illegal to for states or counties to pass laws that regulate GMO crops, which could include the ability to decide what herbicides are sprayed on GMO fields.

France recently banned the sale of Roundup at garden centers across the country, following the WHO cancer warnings. The ban was enacted in April, and French officials said they plan to ban the use of all pesticides for home-gardening by 2022. The decision was reached one month after the findings of the IARC study were published.

A number of consumers diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma or other forms of cancer are now considering potential Roundup lawsuits against Monsanto, alleging that inadequate warnings were provided about the potential side effects of the weedkiller.

Image Credit: Photo Courtesy of Mike Mozart via Flickr Creative Commons

5 Comments

  • RoChelleJuly 15, 2022 at 2:34 pm

    My husband had a kidney removed about 18 years ago due to cancer! He was told it was from pesticides from the farm he had work in! This last Oct he has a brain tumor removed and was told it was real cancer cells causing brain tumors, he has had radiation on multiple brain tumors now and we are struggling to find a chemo drug that won’t cause liver failure!

  • NoraJuly 28, 2021 at 9:08 am

    My late father was a regular user of roundup he said it was the best on the market at the time. He passed away in 2001 at the age of 61. His death certificate states "multiple myeloma and kidney failure " as 2 of his problems

  • LindaAugust 24, 2015 at 6:40 pm

    Monsanto wants to control the world's food supply...........look what they have done with corn and soy. Seeds are God's gift to us and should not be under their control. I wonder how many of the bigwigs at Monsanto eat "food" tainted with Roundup. Our government is falling right in line with the big plan. There should be 100% transparency when it comes to our food!

  • ColinAugust 24, 2015 at 6:37 pm

    It is beyond belief that this axis of EVIL is still in business and controlling the American Government. HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN IN A COUNTRY WHICH HIRES MONSANTO'S EX LAWYERS TO RUN THE GMO REGULATORY DEPARTMENTS OF THE FDA? AND TELLS CONGRESS HOW TO WRITE LAW TO PROTECT ONLY THEIR INTERESTS? INSANE!!! EVEN NORTH KOREA would never allow such travesty of justice IS[Show More]It is beyond belief that this axis of EVIL is still in business and controlling the American Government. HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN IN A COUNTRY WHICH HIRES MONSANTO'S EX LAWYERS TO RUN THE GMO REGULATORY DEPARTMENTS OF THE FDA? AND TELLS CONGRESS HOW TO WRITE LAW TO PROTECT ONLY THEIR INTERESTS? INSANE!!! EVEN NORTH KOREA would never allow such travesty of justice IS MONSANTO holding the US debt?

  • KellieAugust 24, 2015 at 4:25 pm

    We need to find a way to end Monsanto they have just bought another large pesticide company to continue to contaminate and harm our food! They need to be stopped!

Share Your Comments

I authorize the above comments be posted on this page*

Want your comments reviewed by a lawyer?

To have an attorney review your comments and contact you about a potential case, provide your contact information below. This will not be published.

NOTE: Providing information for review by an attorney does not form an attorney-client relationship.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

More Top Stories