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It’s hard to find an herbicide like glyphosate. It’s cheap, highly effective, and is generally regarded as one of the safest and most environmentally benign herbicides ever discovered. But a report last year that glyphosate could cause cancer has thrown its future into jeopardy. Now the European Union faces a 30 June deadline to reapprove its use, or glyphosate will not be allowed for sale. Here’s a quick explanation of the issues.
Who uses glyphosate?
Just about everyone who hates weeds.
Why is it controversial?
Environmental advocates have long worried about health effects of pesticides and herbicides, including glyphosate.
What makes glyphosate a big issue in Europe right now?
A bombshell report.
Wait, why didn’t the health reviews of glyphosate come to the same conclusions?
One reason is that they ask different questions. IARC evaluates the hazard of a chemical—in this case, whether it could cause cancer. It does not ask how likely that is to happen, or in how many people.
Read full, original post: Why Europe may ban the most popular weed killer in the world
