|
 The WHO's cancer arm, the International Agency for Research on
Cancer (IARC), said glyphosate, the active ingredient in the
Monsanto Co herbicide Roundup, was "classified as probably
carcinogenic to humans".
It also said there was "limited evidence" that glyphosate was
carcinogenic in humans for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Monsanto, the world's largest seed company, said scientific data do
not support the conclusions and called on the WHO to hold an urgent
meeting to explain the findings.
"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," Philip Miller, Monsanto's vice-president
of global regulatory affairs, said in a statement.
Concerns about glyphosate on food have been a hot topic of debate in
the United States recently, and contributed to the passage in
Vermont last year of the country's first mandatory labeling law for
foods that are genetically modified.
The U.S. government says the herbicide is considered safe. In 2013,
Monsanto requested and received approval from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency for increased tolerance levels for glyphosate.
Glyphosate is mainly used on crops such as corn and soybeans that
are genetically modified to survive it.
[to top of second column] |
The weed killer has been detected in food, water and in the air
after it has been sprayed, according to the report from the WHO
agency. However, glyphosate use is generally low in and near homes
where the general public would face the greatest risk of exposure,
the report said.
The evidence for the WHO's conclusion was from studies of exposure,
mostly agricultural, in the United States, Canada, and Sweden that
were published since 2001.
Carcinogens are substances that can lead to cancer under certain
levels of exposure.
Monsanto's stock price rose 0.3 percent on Friday to $115.75 after
setting a four-month low on Thursday.
(Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing by Ken Wills)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
