Just released by Reuters – The World Health Organization (WHO) issued an announcement from their International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) that Monsanto’s Roundup is “classified as probably carcinogenic to humans”. 

Weed killer is found in food, water and air according to WHO.  The highest risks are to those who live in or near farming areas. This has been a big topic of concern in the US, and has been the cause for efforts to pass mandatory labeling laws for genetically engineered (GE) foods (food from seeds that are Roundup resistant). GE crops are more highly contaminated with glyphosate– an active ingredient in Roundup – than regular crops. This is so the crops can live after Roundup has been sprayed for weeds. Vermont is the first state to actually get the law passed.

Monsanto is the largest seed company in the world, and, of course, disputes 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. The US has said Roundup is safe, and Monsanto in 2013 requested and received increased tolerance levels for glyphosate.

In addition to the warnings about probably causing cancer, Glyphosate in the diet can lead to nutritional deficiencies and toxicity.