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Common Weed Killer Glyphosate Increases Risk of Cancer By 41 Percent, Study Says (theguardian.com)
A broad new scientific analysis of the cancer-causing potential of glyphosate herbicides, the most widely used weedkilling products in the world, has found that people with high exposures to the popular pesticides have a 41% increased risk of developing a type of cancer called non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The Guardian reports: The evidence "supports a compelling link" between exposures to glyphosate-based herbicides and increased risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), the authors concluded, though they said the specific numerical risk estimates should be interpreted with caution. Monsanto maintains there is no legitimate scientific research showing a definitive association between glyphosate and NHL or any type of cancer. Company officials say the EPA's finding that glyphosate is "not likely" to cause cancer is backed by hundreds of studies finding no such connection.
But the new analysis could potentially complicate Monsanto's defense of its top-selling herbicide. Three of the study authors were tapped by the EPA as board members for a 2016 scientific advisory panel on glyphosate. The new paper was published by the journal Mutation Research /Reviews in Mutation Research, whose editor in chief is EPA scientist David DeMarini. [...] The study authors said their new meta-analysis evaluated all published human studies, including a 2018 updated government-funded study known as the Agricultural Health Study (AHS). Monsanto has cited the updated AHS study as proving that there is no tie between glyphosate and NHL. In conducting the new meta-analysis, the researchers said they focused on the highest exposed group in each study because those individuals would be most likely to have an elevated risk if in fact glyphosate herbicides cause NHL.
But the new analysis could potentially complicate Monsanto's defense of its top-selling herbicide. Three of the study authors were tapped by the EPA as board members for a 2016 scientific advisory panel on glyphosate. The new paper was published by the journal Mutation Research /Reviews in Mutation Research, whose editor in chief is EPA scientist David DeMarini. [...] The study authors said their new meta-analysis evaluated all published human studies, including a 2018 updated government-funded study known as the Agricultural Health Study (AHS). Monsanto has cited the updated AHS study as proving that there is no tie between glyphosate and NHL. In conducting the new meta-analysis, the researchers said they focused on the highest exposed group in each study because those individuals would be most likely to have an elevated risk if in fact glyphosate herbicides cause NHL.
Key phrase: "people with high exposures to the popular pesticides"
On a related note, inhaled dihydrogen monoxide can be fatal and cause death within minutes without prompt medical assistance.
Well, lawncare companies often apply it on commercial and residential lawns (not to the grass itself, of course). If you just work at the company, probably no worries. If you are a kid that plays in the yard, you might get more exposure than the people who apply the stuff.
There are a lot of things that are safe for me to drink but there is no way I would drink them. My own urine is safe for me to drink, but if you want me to drink it I'm going to have the same response as this guy. I know play doh is safe to eat, but if you ask me if I want to eat a jar of it, I'm going ot tell you know because I'm not an idiot. That doesn't make it unsafe, that makes your request stupid.
"Information wants to be expensive" - Stewart Brand, the same guy who said "Information wants to be free"
It depends entirely on whether I went around in previous interviews touting the fact that my product was safe enough to drink.
In that case, saying, "OK, let see you do it," is a reasonable request. Especially if the product is going to be used on a basic foodstuff that is in practically everything people eat.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Is it ok if Monsanto is only poisoning farmers?
If the overall risk is lower than using alternative herbicides, then yes.
Glyphosate is a very effective herbicide that increases crop yields, is safer to handle than the broad spectrum herbicides it replaced, and enables no-till farming methods that reduce soil erosion and increase soil carbon retention.
We need to develop better equipment and techniques to handle it properly, and educate farmers on those techniques. But glyphosate is unlikely to be discontinued.
Poop is a common fertilizer in "organic" farming, yet it is not safe to consume. I don't see why being able to drink something used in agriculture is any sort of standard for safety.
Yes it's an anecdote! Were you expecting original research in a Slashdot comment?
i see monsanto has been reading the old tobacco industries playbook and how they handled the cancer claims (until they no longer could).
On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.