WHO agency brought to task over data manipulation

The draft and final versions of Monograph 112 on glyphosate’s impact on human health

According to newswire Reuters, a piece of information in the final draft regarding research findings was omitted, which was conveniently one of the most notable clues on whether glyphosate, an active ingredient in Monsanto’s branded agricultural herbicides, could be proved a carcinogenic.

In March 2015, according to the American Chemistry Council, IARC published a report titled “Monograph 112” in which the chemical substance glyphosate was categorised as a “Group 2A” carcinogen.

This implies glyphosate can cause cancer and cancerous ailments in the human body.

The draft version asserted “they did not feel that this lesion was compound-related” which indicates glyphosate is not cancer-inducing as suspected.

Yet the final report stated “a significant increase in the incidence of rare tumours, with a dose-related trend, which could be attributed to glyphosate,” concluding that glyphosate is in fact a carcinogen.

The percentage of cancer induction in renal tubule (kidney tubule) was rising from 2-6 per cent, which proves glyphosate is hazardous for human consumption.

Regarding glyphosate’s effect on animals, specifically tested on rats, there was also an information mismatch between the drafted sketch and the final report.

“Non-significant increases in tumour incidences ... were noted in high-dose males as well as in low- and mid-dose females. The authors concluded that glyphosate was not carcinogenic in Sprague Dawley rats,” the drafted report referred to glyphosate as a benign chemical on rats with a side note from the authors saying “not carcinogenic.”

However, the published version turned the side note into “...unable to evaluate this study because of the limited experimental data provided in the review article and supplemental information,” completely excluding the aforementioned conclusion in the draft.

The agency would not identify the person behind the data alteration.

After being brought into question, members of IARC’s Monograph Working Group who analysed and assessed glyphosate expressed concerns about glyphosate’s health-related impact on the human body.

“IARC would like to reiterate that the draft version of the Monographs is deliberative in nature and confidential. Scientists should not feel pressured to discuss their deliberations outside this particular forum,” an extract from IARC’s statement on the case of data modification released on its website in March.

According to newswire Beyond Pesticides, since the mid-1990s, glyphosate was touted as a silver bullet in farming, especially in killing weeds without the risk of crop failure. In addition, the herbicide has been rampantly used since its initial registration in 1974.

Nevertheless, the new form of agriculture fostered by agrichemical firms like Monsanto and Bayer fails to include crucial secondary effects from its use.

This implies that secondary consumers (humans and animals), not crops themselves, are potentially threatened by glyphosate.

Such evidence on the carcinogenicity of glyphosate was shed light on by multiple scientific researches on human health conditions and experiments on animals’ performance after consuming glyphosate-treated agricultural produce.

Unfortunately, the controversial report was of paramount importance in the European Union’s decision-making process on extending the licence of glyphosate.

Meanwhile, news of glyphosate distribution hanging by a thread whipped up anxiety among agricultural countries, as export restrictions would hurt the farming industry.

Previously, glyphosate was on the verge of being banned after the European Commission’s 10-year proposal of prolonging the licence for the herbicide was rejected.

For instance, Argentinian Agriculture Minister Ricardo Buryaile noted the country's soybean exports could be deeply affected, according to newswire FarmingUK.

According to The Guardian, earlier in October, Ben & Jerry’s wiped out all glyphosate-tainted ingredients from the firm’s production chain and will launch an “organic dairy” line in 2018 as an outcome of a new survey revealing traces of glyphosate substance in its European ice-creams.

A recent prospective study of over 6,000 adults over the age of 50 living in Southern California, US, showcased alarming findings.

Of the 1,000 active participants, 100 had urinary glyphosate residues in renal tubules between 1993-1996 and 2016.

The growth of patients encountering this phenomenon show no sign of ceasing since 1993, which raises tremendous dismay among secondary consumers of farming produce.

Paul J Mills. PhD, director of Family Medicine and Public Health at UC San Diego, highlighted, “The public needs to be better informed of the potential risks of the numerous herbicides sprayed onto our food supply so that we can make educated decisions on when we need to reduce or eliminate exposure to potentially harmful compounds.”

Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum, non-selective, systemic herbicide used on perennial plants such as sedges, broad-leaved weeds, grasses, and woody plants. It is a general-use pesticide, labelled as such since 1974 after being introduced by Monsanto’s Roundup brand.