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Congress Requests More Info on Glyphosate Research01-17-17 | Legislation

Congress Requests More Info on
Glyphosate Research

Questions Veracity of Carcinogenic Claims

The assertion by the International Agency for Research on Cancer that the herbicide glyphosate is a likely carcinogen has come under fire since the contention was made.

There is a battle going on between Congress, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is the entity that recently designated glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic," and the National Institutes of Health, which gives money to the IARC.

As reported by Reuters, the latest round involves a letter sent by the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to the NIH asking to receive documents from the IARC regarding the designation; documents that IARC-connected researchers were purportedly told by the organization not to release.

In question is the discrepancy between the IARC's assessment of the herbicide, which is found in Roundup, and the passing grade given it by government regulators around the world such as the EPA, which claims it has low toxicity for humans and is safe for use if label directions are followed.

This isn't the first time that the IARC's negative judgments of products have been challenged. And according to the news agency, the House committee is also asking for clarification on laws concerning the release of information sent between a foreign body and a U.S. government organization.