The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is currently conducting a “registration review” of glyphosate to determine if the chemical is safe to use for another 15 years. For it to be approved, the chemical must be in compliance with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, which requires that under proper use the chemical “will not generally cause unreasonable adverse effects on the environment.”
Though the agency says its cancer assessment on glyphosate is not yet finalized, on Friday, the EPA published what appeared to be their conclusion, which stated that the weed killer is not carcinogenic to humans, contradicting earlier reports from the World Health Organization stating that it is.
In a peculiar move, the EPA quickly yanked the documents from the web, saying they were “inadvertently” published, according to Reuters. The documents, which were retrieved, show the agency based its assessment entirely on industry data, including slideshow presentations from none other than Monsanto.
Large coalition of anti-glyphosate activists rally outside White House
Though disappointing, activists are hopeful the EPA will make true on its promises, including a pledge it made to have its data peer-reviewed before reaching a final decision regarding the carcinogenicity of glyphosate, Alexis Baden-Mayer, Political Director for the Organic Consumers Association, told Natural News.
However, individuals concerned with the health and environmental impacts of glyphosate don’t intend to wait for more bad news. Today at 11:30 a.m. EST, citizens, activists, and scientists will spring into action and rally outside the White House demanding the EPA revoke the license for glyphosate.
Following the rally, a large coalition of national organizers will march over to the EPA headquarters located at 1200 Pennsylvania Ave NW at 1:00 p.m. EST to deliver 400,000 petitions demanding the government immediately halt the use of glyphosate on American’s farmland, parks, and schools.
The event was organized by Moms Across America and Care2, and has received assistance from the Organic Consumers Association, Beyond Pesticides, Friends of the Earth, SumOfUs, CREDO Action, and Food Democracy Now.
The rally is scheduled just one week after the European Union voted to renew the license of glyphosate for another 10 years, in light of fierce opposition.
Science shows widespread glyphosate contamination
The EPA’s premature and unofficial ruling that glyphosate is not likely to be cancerous to humans has led event organizers “to believe the EPA will renew the license of glyphosate, an act which many say, due to health implications, America cannot afford,” according to the event’s press release.[PDF]
“The EPA is simply ignoring hundreds of scientific studies showing harm. The fact is that plenty of science shows that the contamination of glyphosate in our wine, beer, tap water, urine, breast milk, cotton products, cereal and breakfast foods is a major contributing factor to America’s skyrocketing illnesses,” said Zen Honeycutt, with Moms Against America.
“This widespread contamination of this probable carcinogen, neurotoxin and endocrine disruptor must stop. The EPA MUST revoke the license of glyphosate now and protect the people, not the profits of the chemical companies.
“This is a pivotal moment for the EPA and the United States government, where they have the chance to show how much they value the health and safety of the people of the United States by revoking the license of glyphosate,” said Honeycutt.
“More than 400,000 concerned citizens have signed petitions demanding that the EPA take responsible action against this toxic chemical. There is an outpouring of concern and anger about our government’s continued appeasement of corporations that do not have our best interests at heart. We will hold the EPA accountable, and we challenge the EPA to demonstrate its commitment to democracy and to our well-being.”
Stayed tuned as Natural News continues to follow this important event
Sources:
NaturalNews.com[PDF]
