Six years later, in 1991, the agency reversed itself after re-evaluating the mouse study that had been the basis for the original conclusions.
Now the issue is back again, in an even bigger way. An agency of the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that glyphosphate, the active ingredient in Roundup, “probably” causes cancer in people. One piece of evidence the agency cites is that same mouse study.
The declaration drew an angry response from Monsanto, the maker of Roundup, which has accused the agency of having an “agenda” and “cherry picking” the data to support its case.
The conclusion is “markedly at odds with every credible scientific body that has examined glyphosphate safety,” Phillip Miller, Monsanto’s vice president for global regulatory affairs, told reporters on Tuesday.
Glyphosphate, introduced in the 1970s, is the most widely used herbicide in the world, sprayed on farms, in forests, on road sides and in gardens and has a reputation for being benign, as pesticides go. It is now generic and used in many products, not only Roundup.
