Fact check: Glyphosate is not a carcinogen

In 1974, a new herbicide called glyphosate hit the market, and because of the environmental benefits it provides, it has become one of the most widely used herbicides in the world.  It is registered for use in more than 160 countries, and farmers, homeowners, and other land managers value glyphosate as an effective and economical tool for weed control on their fields. 

Specific to agriculture, glyphosate has enabled a farming practice known as conservation tillage, which allows farmers to manage weeds with minimal tillage of the soil.  This conserves valuable topsoil, reduces erosion and runoff, and helps retain soil moisture.  It also conserves both time and fuel for farmers. 

{mosads}Despite its many benefits for agriculture, glyphosate has recently been the subject of false and misleading ads from a group known as the Center for Food Safety.  These ads allege that glyphosate is connected with cancer.

As a company, we care very deeply about product safety.  And because these ads were so misleading, I wanted to respond to their allegations directly to reassure consumers about glyphosate’s long history of safe use.

Because glyphosate has been widely adopted, it’s also perhaps the most extensively studied herbicide molecule on the market.  Over the past three decades, glyphosate has been the subject of more than 800 health and safety studies.  So what do we know?

First, regulatory agencies around the world have evaluated this massive database on glyphosate.  And they have determined that glyphosate can be used safely according to its label instructions.  Regulators have also concluded that glyphosate is not a cancer risk.

For instance, in a statement released earlier this year, the EPA said that a recent review of more than 55 epidemiological studies on glyphosate “does not provide evidence to show that glyphosate causes cancer.”  EPA made this same point again in a recent Congressional hearing. Similarly, a report from the Canadian regulatory authority issued earlier this year concluded that “the overall weight of evidence indicates that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a human cancer risk.”

The CFS ads rely on a recent classification of glyphosate as a “probable carcinogen” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which used an inconsistent approach and selectively reviewed and interpreted data to arrive at its decision.  IARC is just one of four World Health Organization programs that have looked at glyphosate – and the only one that reached this classification.

We know folks have different opinions about food and agriculture, and they’re certainly entitled to express those opinions.  But when we see misinformation about the safety of our products being used to advance an agenda, we feel compelled to set the record straight.

The health of my kids and grandchildren is my top priority.  I bring that passion to work with me every single day as we strive to help farmers produce nutritious food for our growing world in a more environmentally sustainable way.  Having grown up on a grain and livestock farm in western Missouri, I am passionate about conservation, and I want to make sure that we pass along clean air, water and land to the generations that follow.

We will continue to stand by the safe use of our products and our role in making agriculture more sustainable.  I invite anyone with questions to learn more about our company at Discover.Monsanto.com.

Begemann is president and chief operating officer of the Monsanto Company.