A new analysis report on one of the most popular products of Monsanto further divides health advocates and the corporation.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a European-based office under World Health Organization (WHO), has just called Roundup, a herbicide from Monsanto, a probable carcinogenic. This is because of its primary ingredient, glysophate.
The IARC was able to come up with such conclusion when they reviewed other existing studies about the ingredient. There was limited proof that people in the United States, Sweden, and Canada exposed to the chemical are at risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The risk is very high among lab animals such as mice. The odds of getting sick with cancer also remain the same even if they have adjusted other factors like using other types of pesticides.
The entire report can be read in Lancet Oncology.
When sought for comment, Monsanto vehemently denied the claims of the report. They have pointed out that glysophate has long been considered as safe to use by the respective councils and regulators in the United States and Europe. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), glysophate is classified as having low level of acute toxicity. Nevertheless, it's up for review by the agency.
They also alleged they didn't know where the IARC obtained such conclusion and that the report was a huge deviation from other reports that suggested the effectiveness and safety of Roundup. They questioned the fact that the data used by the research center were nothing new and that they had been analyzed before.
Monsanto has urged IARC to set up an urgent meeting with other regulators and task force monitoring glysophate manufacturing and use so the research center can explain the studies they utilized for their analysis and those that weren't included or disregarded.
Meanwhile, food analysts and health advocates weren't surprised with the report. They hope that this will encourage a more comprehensive inquiry on the compound, particularly what it does to health.