November 9, 2017

expert reaction to glyphosate and cancer

In a large prospective cohort study, researchers examine the association between Glyphosate use and cancer incidence, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Prof Sir David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk at the University of Cambridge, said:

“This large and careful study shows no significant relationship between Glyphosate use and any cancer.  The reported possible association with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is no more than one would expect by chance when looking at 22 different cancer types. In fact the association that comes closest to statistical significance is a negative link with testicular cancer – that is, higher Glyphosate use was associated with lower risk – but again this is just the sort of chance result one would expect.”

*‘Glyphosate Use and Cancer Incidence in the Agricultural Health Study’ by Gabriella Andreotti et al was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute 

Declared interests

None declared