Glyphosphate (Roundup) doesn't cause cancer says European Union Agency

Glyphosphate, one of the world's most commonly used herbicides, is unlikely to increase the risk of cancer-at least in pure form—according to an assessment released by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). (1)

The report will likely have a major influence on the European Union's upcoming decision to keep glyphosphate, the active ingredient in widely used herbicides such as Roundup, on its list of approved chemical substances. The EFSA report concludes that epidemiological studies don't suggest an increased risk of cancer after exposure to glyphosphate. The report noted that epidemiological studies cited in other reports were difficult to assess because they evaluated commercially available herbicides that include glyphosphate as well as other ingredients. EFSA's analysis was limited to glyphosphate alone. However, taking into consideration the weight of evidence, EFSA concluded that the epidemiological studies did not contradict the conclusion from animal studies, 'that glyphosphate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic hazard to humans.' (1) In the United States, according to the Extension Technology Network, a joint pesticide project by Cornell University, Michigan State University, Oregon State University, and University of California at Davis, and funded by the US Department of Agriculture, glyphosphate is non-volatile, minimizing exposure through inhalation, and undergoes little metabolism in the human body. If accidentally consumed, glyphosphate is excreted mostly unchanged in feces and urine, so it doesn't stay in the body and accumulate. (2) The EPA has also determined that glyphosphate has 'minimal' ecological effects. Glyphosphate is only slightly toxic to birds and fish, and it binds tightly to the soil, reducing the possibilities of leaching. Microbes in the soil then break glyphosphate down so it doesn't accumulate in the soil. (2)

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So, really, how toxic is glyphosphate? Acute toxicity of a chemical is measured using a parameter called LD50—the dose at which 50 percent of the animals or humans will die. Basically, there is no way to get enough glyphosphate into a glass of water to kill you. LD50 numbers are expressed in mg/kg body weight of the animal/day. So, for a chemical that has an LD50 of 1000 mg/kg/day in humans (70 kg), the daily dose required to kill half of the people would be 70 grams (2.5 ounces, one teaspoon). (3) The table below compares glyphospahte with items we consume every day. Remember, the higher the number, the less toxic the chemical. (3) Chemical LD50-humans (mg/kg/day) Glyphosphate 5,000 Caffeine 325 Tylenol 724 Vitamin A 60 Salt 550 Yes, what you are seeing is real. The glyphosphate designed to kill weeds is safer than just about all the products you consume every day. Caffeine is over ten times more toxic than glyphosphate. Its this cause for concern? Should we stop drinking coffee? No, the main reason being that a typical dosage of caffeine is not high enough to cause toxicity. It would take 12,192 mg of caffeine to kill an average 140 lb human being. A typical 8 oz cup of coffee only contains 95 mg of coffee. The same reasoning applies to glyphosphate. It would take 12.5 oz of glyphospahte to kill an average 140 lb human being. That means drinking about three gallons of Roundup Original (2) Jack Dini Livermore, CA References 1. Gretchen Vogel, “Popular herbicide doesn't cause cancer European Union agency says,” news.sciencemag.org, November 12, 2015 2. Xiao Zhi Lim, “Is glyphosphate used with some GM crops dangerously toxic to humans?”, geneticliteracyproject, org, April 30, 2014 3. “If you're going to pick your poison, at least choose the right one,” American Council on Science and Health, June 30, 2015