EFSA: Glyphosate is safe, but you’re not

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has angered thousands with its new claim that glyphosate does not, in fact, cause cancer.

According to NewsMax.com, “The EFSA advises EU policymakers and its conclusion could lead the 28-member European Union to renew approval for glyphosate, which was brought into use by Monsanto in the 1970s and is used in its top selling product Roundup as well as in many other herbicides around the world.”

Many environmental groups have been rallying to ban the pesticide since the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) found it to be “probably carcinogenic to humans”. Roughly 1.4 million supporters signed a petition to suspend the use of glyphosate until further research had been done.

The EFSA claims to have done an exhausting, full-bore analysis of glyphosate over the last eight months or so, since the IARC findings were only announced in March of 2015. Does anyone else find it hard to believe that long-term effects of use can be determined in eight months or less?

Regardless, the EFSA did come up with an exposure limit of 0.5 milligrams (mg) per 1 kilogram (kg) of body weight. They claim an 80 kg (176 lbs.) person could consume 40 mg of glyphosate residue per day for the rest of their life. How long the rest of their life will be is not mentioned, however.

Monsanto says that would be the equivalent of eating “400k g of fruit or vegetables a day” – which is surely a grossly exaggerated figure. Nonetheless, Monsanto is said to be quite pleased with the report; but of course, you get what you pay for. There’s no doubt much of their own data and cash went into the production of the EFSA results anyway.

Source:

NewsMax.com