Posted EPA document says Glyphosate does not cause cancer, later taken down

Tuesday, May 3rd 2016

Glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans, according to a document inadvertently posted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's website Monday. Monsanto was quick to take advantage of the EPA error, issuing a press statement lauding the report which was completed in October 2015. When contacted Monday evening, an EPA spokesperson said they were unsure why the report was posted -- calling it a "mistake." The document was described as the final report of a cancer assessment review committee (CARC) on the health effects of pesticides. The CARC report had yet to be reviewed by a scientific advisory board. EPA said Monday the advisory board is slated to complete its review by year's end, when an EPA assessment is finalized or released. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, or IARC, in Lyon, France, assessed the carcinogenic potential of glyphosate in March 2015. The IARC concluded glyphosate was "probably carcinogenic to humans." That conclusion prompted EPA to re-evaluate the herbicide's carcinogenic potential. Though the assessment report has been made public, EPA said in a statement the agency will have more to say about glyphosate later this year.