This week the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will decide whether or not to allow glyphosate to be used in the US for another 15 years. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are telling them clearly put their foot down and say ‘NO.’
Over 149,000 public comments have been submitted to the EPA this week asking for a ban on glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto’s popular weedkiller Roundup.
Although the United States has not formally recognized glyphosate’s ties to cancer, the United Nations and the California Office of Health Hazard Assessment has classified the herbicide as a potential carcinogen. But, as Friends of the Earth points out, the EPA’s Office of Research and Development has admitted that the Office of Pesticide Programs did not follow proper protocol in its evaluation of glyphosate. Part of the problem is that the EPA included Monsanto-funded studies in its evaluation.
“The science is clear about glyphosate. This dangerous herbicide causes serious health risks, including cancer, and threatens our environment,” said Jason Davidson with Friends of the Earth.“EPA must do its job and ban this toxic pesticide instead of prioritizing corporate profits.”
Of course, Monsanto doesn’t want to admit that their infamous herbicide causes cancer: they made $4.8 billion in revenue last year from its sales.
“No company’s profits are more important than children’s health and the health of our fragile ecosystems. The EPA must uphold its mission and ban glyphosate,” said Brandy Doyle with CREDO Action.
Monsanto/Bayer has struggled in the last year as the amount of cancer lawsuits filed against them has skyrocketed. Most recently a San Francisco jury determined that Dewayne “Lee” Johnson‘s non-Hodgkin lymphoma was caused by his nearly daily exposure to glyphosate. Johnson was awarded $289 million.
Public comments for the proposed interim registration review end today. Click here to read more or submit your own comment to the EPA.
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