WebMD News from HealthDay
March 23, 2015 -- The weed killer Roundup is a "probable carcinogen," says a report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
Specifically, it's the main ingredient -- glyphosate -- in the Monsanto product that is the threat, according to the report in the journal The Lancet Oncology, USA Today reported.
IARC is the cancer research arm of the World Health Organization.
"This latest finding, which links Monsanto's Roundup to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and lung cancer is not the first to make these links, but it is one of the strongest indictments of glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup," said Ronnie Cummins, international director for the Organic Consumers Association, USA Today reported.
Monstanto disputed the finding, saying that all "labeled uses of glyphosate are safe for human health."
In 2013, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency raised the allowed limits of glyphosate residues on fruits and vegetables. The agency plans to review glyphosate this year, USA Today reported.
Most genetically modified crops are designed to be resistant to Roundup.
"The widespread adoption of GMO corn and soybeans has led to an explosion in the use of glyphosate -- a main ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup and Dow's Enlist Duo," said Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, USA Today reported.
"Consumers have the right to know how their food is grown and whether their food dollars are driving up the use of a probable carcinogen," he added.
The group wants the U.S Food and Drug Administration to require GMO foods to be labeled, USA Today reported.
source : Roundup a 'Probable Carcinogen,' Report Says
