Associated Press writer Michael Biesecker reported yesterday that, “Republican lawmakers are threatening to cut off U.S. funding for the World Health Organization’s cancer research program over its finding that the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup is probably carcinogenic to humans.
“House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith said Tuesday that the 2015 conclusion by the International Agency for Research on Cancer was fundamentally flawed and relied on cherry-picked science. The Texas lawmaker said he has serious concerns about anti-industry bias and a lack of transparency within the program, which is based in Lyon, France.
“A separate review by the Environmental Protection Agency concluded in December that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup and other products, is not likely to cause cancer at typical levels of exposure.”
The AP article added that, “‘There are real repercussions to IARC’s unsubstantiated claims, which are not backed by reliable data,’ Smith said at a hearing. ‘Labeling requirements will drive costs up for farmers and consumers and create unjustified public fear.'”
