Glyphosate - brought into use by Monsanto in the 1970s and used in its top-selling product Roundup - is "unlikely" to cause cancer according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), yet "probably" does, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
Both are likely to be right, specialists say, but only in their own contexts. And for consumers, the key distinction to understand is the difference between hazard and risk.
"At face value the opinions of IARC and EFSA appear to be contrary, but the reality is they are not directly comparable," said Peter Jenkinson, a genotoxicologist and managing director France & UK of the chemicals consultancy CEHTRA Ltd.
That's partly because the evidence the two agencies considered was not the same - EFSA only assessed glyphosate, while IARC looked at glyphosate alone and at products it's used in - and partly because they used different methods to draw conclusions.
Just as importantly, however, it is because they approach their task from different stances - one being hazard identification, the other being risk assessment.
Jenkinson noted that while EFSA used a "weight of evidence" approach in its review, published last week, IARC, which issued its glyphosate classification in March, takes the view that if one study has a positive result it can outweigh negative studies, even if there are more negative than positive ones.
EFSA also analyzed some studies conducted by industry groups that were not part of IARC's review. IARC says it looks solely at evidence that has already been published and can be reviewed by independent scientists.
Source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/11/17/mixed-message-on-weed-killer-reflects-reality-scientific-uncertainty.html
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