Trump's Admin Won’t Approve RoundUp Cancer-Warning Labels

United States President Donald Trump's administration allowed agrochemical companies to not warn consumers about potentially risky products that contain glyphosate. 

RELATED: 

Monsanto Ordered to Pay $81 Million in Roundup Cancer Trial

The decision targets a Californian ruling that orders labels to warn consumers that RoundUp, a glyphosate-based herbicide originally produced by Monsanto, and acquired by Bayer in 2018, can cause cancer.

While Roundup, marketed by Monsanto as a weed killer, is currently the center of attention of lawsuits from thousands of consumers testifying it caused their cancers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decided it will no longer authorize labels warning glyphosate may cause cancer, arguing that such labels are “irresponsible.”

EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said the chemical product does not represent a danger for health or cancer risk, citing the agency’s conclusions in a statement.

The World Health Organization’s cancer agency had stated that the product is “possibly carcinogenic to humans,” but this position is not shared by all the scientists since there are studies that argue against reports of glyphosate’s risks, such as the study of agricultural workers that said it didn’t find a link between the weed killer and cancer. 

Since Bayer acquired Monsanto in June 2018, the company has lost three court cases alleging the chemical caused cancer.

Lawyers for clients who were granted millions of dollars after pursuing Monsanto presented evidence that glyphosate can cause genetic damage leading to cancer. They claimed Monsanto ignored that information and published information denying the toxicity of the chemical.

As the state of California requires warning labels on glyphosate products, Monsanto has sued to prevent the state's warning label requirements. A federal judge blocked California from imposing the labels while the lawsuit continues.