Report intended to educate US politicians about industry-led attacks on the WHO’s cancer agency

An excellent report has been published by the Minority of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the US House of Representatives.

The report was written to educate the members of the Committee about the machinations of Monsanto and Committee chairman Lamar Smith, which are aimed at smearing and defunding IARC, the cancer research agency that declared glyphosate a probable carcinogen.

The new report describes some of the tactics Monsanto has used to control the public debate about glyphosate as well as the scientific studies that have been conducted to assess its potential harm.

The report states, "These efforts appear aimed at corrupting and disrupting any honest, thorough and complete scientific evaluation of glyphosate and its potential adverse impact on the public’s health."

Lamar Smith has taken up many of the industry's talking points in his letter-writing campaign against IARC. This campaign has culminated in a kangaroo court-style hearing before the Committee in which 'evidence' against IARC was heard.

The introduction to the report summarises its background and content:

"On February 6, 2018, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology is scheduled to hold a hearing entitled, “In Defense of Scientific Integrity: Examining the IARC Monograph Programme and Glyphosate Review.” The chemical glyphosate is a herbicide most commonly found in Monsanto’s commercial weed-killer Roundup. Committee Chairman Lamar Smith scheduled this hearing after months of letter writing criticizing the IARC review of glyphosate and examining the EPA’s actions on glyphosate. Many of the criticisms contained in the Committee’s letters regarding IARC mimic criticisms that the chemical industry has leveled on the IARC process.

"Since these industry talking points are apparently the basis for both a Congressional investigation as well as a Committee hearing, Minority Committee Staff have written this staff report to better inform the Committee Members about the chemical industry tactics which have ultimately produced these industry talking points. The report necessarily focuses on the Monsanto Company due to their primary role in inventing, selling, and marketing glyphosate and glyphosate resistant seeds. This report is based in no small part on documents that have been made publically available due to ongoing third-party litigation with Monsanto. These newly released public documents have revealed in an unprecedented manner the tactics of the chemical industry in attacking public health science related to their products."