EPA Caves to the Agrichemical Industry Ahead of Glyphosate Hearings
By Anna Low-Beer, U.S. PIRG
Days before the Environmental Protection Agency was set to hold Scientific Advisory Panel meetings to review the carcinogenic potential of glyphosate – the primary ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup – the meetings were postponed.
Why? Because CropLife America, a trade group for Monsanto and other agribusinesses, took issue with two of the scientists set to be on the EPA panel.
This comes after CropLife tried to prevent the hearings from happening at all, and said that if they were held, “any person who has publicly expressed an opinion regarding the carcinogenicity of glyphosate” should be kept off the panel.
It comes as no surprise, then, that the group took issue with Dr. Peter Infante, who has testified against Monsanto in chemical exposure cases before.
What is surprising is how ready the EPA was to bend to the will of the industry. Only two days after CropLife objected, the EPA announced it was looking for new scientists for the panel and that the hearings were postponed.
The EPA has since rescheduled the hearings for December 13-15, and Dr. Infante’s name is no longer on the list of panelists.
To be clear, Dr. Infante is an expert in his field with years of experience. He worked for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration helping to determine cancer risks for 24 years, and he has consulted in epidemiology for the EPA and the World Trade Organization.
The hearings are especially significant as new research has linked the chemicals in Roundup to serious health risks, including cancer and reproductive problems. Meanwhile, Roundup’s use is increasing and it’s showing up in more of our water and food. Just weeks ago, a new report found glyphosate at alarmingly high levels in popular cereals, cookies, crackers and chips.
The EPA’s findings on glyphosate should be based on sound, independent science, not political pressure from a powerful industry group.
Sign our petition if you agree: http://bit.ly/DontSilenceScience