The Environmental Working Group (EWG), an environmental advocacy
organization that conducted the study, said Wednesday that glyphosate was found
in all but five of 29 oat-based foods that were tested.
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup, the most
heavily used herbicide in the United States. Every year, according to the EWG,
more than 250 million pounds of glyphosate is sprayed on American crops.
The World Health Organization has determined that glyphosate is
"probably carcnogenic to humans" and the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) has set a safety level for the potentially dangerous chemical.
Just last week, Monsanto was ordered by a court to pay nearly $300 million to a
man who claims his terminal cancer was caused by exposure to Roundup. Hundreds
of other cases are working their way through the courts.
Monsanto strongly disputes the finding that glyphosate is a probable
carcinogen and notes that over four decades, the EPA has consistently supported
the safe and effective use of glyphosate.
The company notes on its website that on Dec. 18, the EPA stated the
following: “The draft human health risk assessment concludes that glyphosate is
not likely to be carcinogenic to humans. The agency’s assessment found no other
meaningful risks to human health when the product is used according to the
pesticide label. The agency’s scientific findings are consistent with the
conclusions of science reviews by a number of other countries as well as the
2017 National Institute of Health Agricultural Health Survey.”
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