Agricultural News
Rep. Tom Cole Requests EPA Include Health Dept.'s Agricultural Health Study in Glyphosate Review
Thu, 15 Jun 2017 15:00:17 CDT
A special report from Reuters, yesterday, revealed that scientist, Dr. Aaron Blair, chair of the controversial IARC Monograph 112, withheld evidence that would have exonerated glyphosate. Following yesterday's report, the House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee held a hearing on the FY 2018 budget request for the Environmental Protection Agency. Representative Tom Cole (R-OK) took time in the hearing to question Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt about the stunning revelations regarding the Agricultural Health Study (AHS) in which Dr. Blair participated in. Cole also requested Administrator Pruitt's inclusion of the AHS data in future reviews of glyphosate.
?"It's my understanding that you're currently doing a review of glyphosate, which I understand is a pesticide, herbicide, sold as something called round up," Cole said. "In the past, it's been, I think had a label that it might have carcinogens in it, but I understand that there is a new study that has not yet been released called the Agricultural Health Study- it's over at the Health and Human Services and for some reason it has been held for two years, and it comes to a very different conclusion. So, I'm just curious as you do your review, could you look into that and see if that study is there and just make sure that your people, as they make their determination, have access to that data?"
"I will and I will say that I've had interagency discussions with Secretary Purdue at the Department of Agriculture and Secretary Price at HHS," Pruitt responded. "It is important that we collaborate and work together around these issues and we will do that and report back."
Recall that in March 2017, EPA's Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) released its final report on its December 2016 evaluation of the EPA Glyphosate Issue Paper. Panelists were unable to come to a consensus recommendation to challenge the findings of the September 2016 Office of Pesticide Programs Issue Paper.
EPA's registration review schedule for glyphosate is expected to come sometime this year.
Source - The Office of Rep. Tom Cole
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