Green Groups Say Trump EPA Backing Monsanto's Claim Glyphosate Not a Health Threat 'Completely Ignores Science'

Environmentalists swiftly slammed the Trump administration Tuesday for reaffirming the federal government’s position that the world’s most widely used herbicide poses no threat to public health—despite other global experts tying it to cancer.

After conducting a safety review of the weed killer, the Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement Tuesday that “EPA continues to find that there are no risks to public health when glyphosate is used in accordance with its current label and that glyphosate is not a carcinogen.”

The agency did, however, identify ecological risks associated with glyphosate—the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup—and proposed some new management measures designed to protect pollinators and reduce the problem of weeds becoming resistant to the herbicide.

The EPA’s conclusion Tuesday contradicts that of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a branch of the World Health Organization (WHO) that classifies glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen.

The American agrochemical company Monsanto—which merged with the German pharmaceutical giant Bayer last year—has faced multiple lawsuits brought by people who say their illnesses were caused by exposure to RoundUp. The company, like the EPA, maintains that glyphosate is safe when used as instructed.

Critics of the EPA’s announcement Tuesday highlighted that the agency’s position conflicts with the WHO’s classification.