A report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that 26 of the 28 cereal, snack bar and oat products it tested had trace amounts of an herbicide found in a weed killer. This is the second round of testing EWG has done.
The earlier report that came out in August found similar results in 31 oat-based foods.
The weed killer, Roundup, is a controversial product since its main ingredient is glyphosate, an herbicide whose carcinogenic properties have been heavily debated.
The EPA said in 2017 that glyphosate “is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans,” but other organizations disagree. For example, the EWG benchmark for how much glyphosate is OK in food is much stricter than EPA standards. In addition, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) determined in 2015 that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans.”
And in August, the maker of the weed killer herbicide, Monsanto, was ordered to pay $289 million in damages to a groundskeeper who said the glyphosate-based Roundup caused his cancer. The payout was lowered to $78 million but the ruling remained the same.
The full report can be found online on the EWG website.
Credit: www.wmar2news.com