IARC evaluation of herbicides glyphosate and 2,4-D ‘flawed’ and ‘redundant’

In March I wrote about the travesty of the International Agency on Research in Cancer’s four-day review of glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup herbicides), which resulted in its classification as a probable carcinogen—an opinion that flies in the face of reviews by regulatory agencies around the world. Since then, several regulatory agencies highly knowledgeable about glyphosate have made statements that support the chemical’s safety. That isn’t the only controversial (read: wrong-headed) herbicide decision to come from IARC recently: They also screwed up on classifying 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, commonly known as 2,4-D.

The reality is that the potential for evaluating the real risk of chemicals to consumers should be evaluated by bona fide regulators–even though they are themselves sometimes overzealous–rather than a group like IARC.

It is past time to review how–and whether–IARC fits in the regulatory landscape. IARC claims that its monographs program is important, with international expert working groups evaluating the evidence of the carcinogenicity of specific agents. However, its approach ignores the fundamental concept of risk-assessment: that risk is a function of both hazard and exposure.

Even within WHO, IARC is confusingly redundant. The Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) is responsible for reviewing pesticides and has been doing so since 1963.

We don’t need multiple, conflicting opinions on the same issues, and that IARC should become history. Otherwise, WHO will find itself still mired in a situation similar to the classic Abbott and Costello farce, “Who’s on first?”

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: A UN Agency That Should Be Headed For Its Own Last ‘Roundup’

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