The NGO HEAL (Health and Environment) published on Wednesday 8 June a new report compiling the scientific evidence on the carcinogenic potential of glyphosate, which it deplores having been discarded in the ongoing re-evaluation process of a highly controversial pesticide active substance.
While the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has maintained the current classification of the active substance glyphosate (see EUROPE 12962/12), HEAL warns that “failure to recognise the substance’s carcinogenic potential would be a step backwards in Europe’s fight against cancer”.
The report reveals the occurrence of clear and statistically significant tumours in ten of the eleven animal studies submitted in 2019 by companies applying for EU re-approval of the active substance. This “confirms the 2015 classification of glyphosate as a ‘probable carcinogen’ by the International Agency for Research on Cancer”, according to HEAL.
The report is based on the analyses of two scientific experts, Professor Christopher Portier and Dr. Peter Clausing. These analyses were presented during consultations organised by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and ECHA, and during discussions in the ECHA Committee for Risk Assessment.
See the report: https://aeur.eu/f/1zd (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)