Glyphosate: Bayer refers to fewer cancer studies than assumed
Is the weedkiller glyphosate carcinogenic? For a long time, the agricultural chemicals group Bayer has relied on 800 scientific studies to prove that glyphosate "can be safely used and is not carcinogenic. This was also reported by the German Press Agency. As the "tageszeitung" writes, however, the number of studies is actually much smaller. A Bayer spokesman now spoke of a more precise formulation, but ruled out mistakes. The Dax Group plans to publish summaries of glyphosate studies on the Internet on December 7.
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In contrast to the 2nd quarter report, the 3rd quarter report initially mentions the 800 scientific studies only as proof of safety when handled appropriately. Only later in the text is it emphasized that glyphosate is not carcinogenic - without direct reference to the number 800. The sentence "was clarified in order to exclude the possibility that it could be interpreted differently," a Bayer spokesman said when asked.
How many studies actually exist on glyphosate cancer risk, however, is still controversial. The Bayer spokesman referred to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which "in a cancer risk assessment in which 121 studies were reviewed, concluded that glyphosate "is not likely to cause cancer in humans".
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) also came to the conclusion that glyphosate is not expected to cause cancer in humans. In 2016, the BfR referred to 50 studies.
By contrast, the World Health Organization (WHO) had classified glyphosate 2015 as "probably carcinogenic". In the United States, Bayer and its subsidiary Monsanto were fined $78 million for glyphosate. The company appealed. There are a further 9300 plaintiffs there./wdw/pos/DP/tos (dpa)
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