California’s Decision To List Glyphosate As Cancer-Causing Upheld By Courts

Photo – hpgruesen – pixabay.com

As of July 7th 2017, the state of California, in a landmark move, has decided to label the common weed-killing ingredient glyphosate as a chemical “known to the state to cause cancer”. This was done under the jurisdiction of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986; more popularly known as Proposition 65. This decision came amidst Monsanto’s continued insistence that their popular ”Roundup” herbicide (which contains glyphosate), is safe when used correctly, despite the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) categorizing it as “probably carcinogenic to humans”. Although the same agency later clarified that the possibility of developing cancer from dietary exposure from glyphosate is unlikely, there has been a strong push from the State of California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment to continue with the warnings. ^[1][2]

This decision seems to validate the claim of over 1,000 plaintiffs suing Monsanto for allegedly exposing them to the harmful effects of the chemical believed to be capable of causing Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Now equipped with both the IARC’s declaration and California’s decision for a warning, consumers are rejoicing this win. ^[3]

However, the scandal does not stop there for Monsanto. Recently, CNN published an article detailing that an alleged connivance between EPA and Monsanto discussing ways of killing the fallout from the IARC study. This fueled more doubts about the credibility of Monsanto’s statements. ^[4]

With the growing pressure from both consumers and now local legislators, the FDA decided to resume testing foods for exposure to glyphosate after seemingly abandoning it for a while. ^[5]

Overall, this is a monumental victory for food and environmental safety in the United States and activist are encouraged to remain vigilant for future developments in the story.

Further Reading:

Fears As 93% Of Americans Tested Positive For Glyphosate And Children Found To Have The Highest Levels

Monsanto Is Suing California For Stating That Roundup Causes Cancer

Study Finds 85% Of Feminine Hygiene Products Contain Traces Of Roundup Herbicide