WHO Report Links Roundup Weed Killer to Cancer Risk

The world's most widely used weed killer can "probably" cause cancer,
the World Health Organization said on Friday. The WHO's cancer arm,
the International Agency for Research on Cancer, said glyphosate, the
active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, was "classified as
probably carcinogenic to humans." It also said there was "limited
evidence" that glyphosate was carcinogenic in humans for non-Hodgkin
lymphoma.

Monsanto, the world's largest seed company and Roundup's manufacturer,
said in a statement that scientific data do not support the agency's
conclusions and called on WHO to hold an urgent meeting to explain the
findings.
Concerns about glyphosate on food have been a hot topic of debate in
the United States recently, and contributed to the passage in Vermont
last year of the country's first mandatory labeling law for foods that
are genetically modified. The U.S. government says the herbicide is
considered safe.

Glyphosate is mainly used on crops such as corn and soybeans that are
genetically modified to survive it. The weed killer has been detected
in food, water and in the air after it has been sprayed, according to
the WHO agency's report. However, glyphosate use is generally low in
and near homes where the public would face the greatest risk of
exposure, the report said