Ingredient in Monsanto weedkiller Roundup probably causes cancer (non-Hodgkin lymphoma), says WHO

 (REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom)


(REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom)

One of the main ingredients in Roundup, that ubiquitous weed killing spray made by Monsanto, probably causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Glyphosate is a cancer-causing culprit, according to a new report from the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

From the Quartz story summary:

monsanto-roundup

The report is based on a review of existing evidence, including multiple studies of the effects of glyphosate on agricultural and forestry workers since 2001, co-author Kate Guyton tells Quartz. She says the report stopped short of saying the chemical conclusively causes cancer, because these existing studies focused on a limited population of healthy male workers; they did not include young people or women. It's unclear how much exposure would be cancerous, or why glyphosate leads specifically to this kind of cancer, Guyton says.

What the scientists do know is that the people in these studies who were exposed to glyphosate experienced a higher incidence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma than those not exposed to the chemical. Other studies found that glyphosate led to DNA and chromosomal damage in human and animal cells in vitro, which can lead to cancer.

"A WHO report says a Monsanto weed killer ingredient is probably causing cancer" [qz.com]