SACRAMENTO >> Glyphosate, the main pesticide in Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer that is used throughout California, is receiving increased attention from state lawmakers concerned about its cancer-causing properties.
In March, California became the first state to add glyphosate to the list of chemicals known to cause cancer.
Now, the state is weighing what threshold of glyphosate constitutes as too much exposure for one person. Lawmakers are proposing that the current threshold be set at 1.1 milligrams a day per person, which is less than the 140-milligram standard set by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
While the standard is a step in the right direction, it can be improved, said Olga Naidenko, a senior science advisor for the Environmental Working Group.
The Washington, D.C.-based organization released a report applauding California for setting stricter standards on the herbicide. But Naidenko said there was more to be done.
“If it is implemented, it will be very healthy,” she said. “But is there room for improvement, absolutely.”
However, the report also called for a much lower level permitted in daily consumption — 0.01 milligrams per day — to safeguard all Californians.
“For food, we don’t have a good way of monitoring data to know which foods in the supermarket have high levels of glyphosate,” Naidenko said.
Naidenko praised the state for leading the way on glyphosate regulation.
“The bottom line message is that California state officials have taken steps ahead of the rest of the world: Being the first to propose a cancer-based limit on glyphosate,” Naidenko said.
