29 May 2015
Glyphosate Monograph publication scheduled for July 2015

IARC are pleased to announce that the Monograph on glyphosate is scheduled for online publication in July 2015. The remaining Monographs of volume 112 will be published subsequently.

Lyon, France, 20 March 2015

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization WHO, has assessed the carcinogenicity of five organophosphate pesticides. A summary of the final evaluations together with a short rationale have now been published online in The Lancet Oncology, and the detailed assessments will be published as Volume 112 of the IARC Monographs.

The herbicide glyphosate [Roundup, Monsanto] has been classified as probably carcinogenic to humans.

Glyphosate currently has the highest global production volume of all herbicides. The largest use worldwide is in agriculture.

The agricultural use of glyphosate has increased sharply since the development of [Monsanto proprietary] crops that have been genetically modified to make them resistant to glyphosate.

Glyphosate is also used in forestry, urban, and home applications. Glyphosate has been detected in the air during spraying, in water, and in food. The general population is exposed primarily through residence near sprayed areas, home use, and diet.

What are the implications of the IARC evaluations?

The IARC Monographs Programme provides scientific evaluations based on a comprehensive review of the scientific literature, but it remains the responsibility of individual governments and other international organizations to recommend regulations, legislation, or public health intervention.