After halting the process in October, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently put its review of glyphosate back on the calendar for December 13-16. Scientists will gather on behalf of the agency to review the carcinogenic properties of the key ingredient in Monsanto’s flagship herbicide RoundUp.
EPA originally postponed the meeting after Monsanto publicly attempted to discredit participating scientists chosen by the agency. While the Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) will convene next week, it’s notably missing Peter Infante — an expert epidemiologist Monsanto publicly accused of bias.
Caving to industry pressure
A few days before the SAP meeting was supposed to start in October, Monsanto sent a letter to EPA claiming that Infante was “biased” because he had historically defended plaintiffs in chemical exposure cases against Monsanto and affiliated agrichemical corporations — and challenged the legitimacy of industry-funded studies.
Given that Infante is no longer participating in the review process, it seems Monsanto’s tactics to undercut independent, non-industry science were effective.
Scientific integrity?
Glyphosate is the most widely used chemical herbicide in the U.S and scientists around the world continue to raise red flags about its links to cancer. Just last year, the UN’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) determined glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans” — a conclusion they arrived at after reviewing independent, peer-reviewed studies.
Taking a stand against industry pressure in our environmental regulatory system is critical — and even more so with the incoming administration recently appointing Scott Pruitt, who has clear ties to corporate interests in the fossil fuel industry, to lead EPA.
Join PAN and partners in sending a letter to EPA before the SAP meeting begins next week, demanding the agency keep its glyphosate review on track and take a close look at independent science — even if Monsanto doesn’t like it!
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