Glyphosate has not been banned
Re “Regulators shouldn’t deprive farmers of a safe pesticide” (Valley Voices, Feb. 10):
The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has not added glyphosate to the Proposition 65 list of carcinogens. OEHHA has stated intent to list this chemical, but the final determination has not been made.
If glyphosate is added to the list, it would not ban or restrict the use or sale of the chemical. Listing could result in warnings for some exposures, but that is not certain.
California law and regulations state that chemicals must be included on the list if, like glyphosate, they have been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as carcinogenic to animals and probably carcinogenic to humans.
IARC is an authoritative agency within the World Health Organization and is recognized for its expertise on cancer. Courts have found that OEHHA must list a chemical if it meets these criteria.
Lauren Zeise, Acting Director, California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
This story was originally published February 14, 2016 at 6:17 AM with the headline "Glyphosate has not been banned."