EPA Will Not Approve Prop 65 Warning Labels for Glyphosate

EPA has announced that it will no longer approve California’s Proposition 65 warning labels for products that contain glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup herbicides.

In a letter to companies explaining the decision, director of registration for EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs, Michael Goodis said the labels warning glyphosate’s possible link to cancer constitutes “a false and misleading statement.”



California added glyphosate to its Prop 65 list of hazardous chemicals in 2017, after the International Agency for Research on Cancer announced glyphosate could be a likely carcinogen. However, EPA officials have disputed this claim in their own research, showing the chemical poses no risk to public health.
 

Glyphosate Embroiled in Legal Disputes

Roundup is the most used herbicide in the world and is currently the subject of many legal actions across the US due to conflicting research on these perceived health effects associated with prolonged use.

In June, a California jury awarded a married couple more than $2 billion after lawyers successfully argued they were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after years of using Roundup. However, this award is likely to be reduced following further court proceedings.

Although California requires warning labels on glyphosate products as part of the Prop 65 regulations, the State has not enforced the labels since Roundup manufacturer, Monsanto sued California to block the warning labels in 2018. Federal courts have initially sided with Monsanto, prohibiting the warning labels until the lawsuit is resolved.
 

Proposition 65

To protect California’s drinking water sources from chemicals that have potential to cause cancer, birth defects, or reproductive harm, California enacted the Safe Drinking and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986. Also known as Proposition 65, or Prop 65, this legislation includes a diverse list of chemicals found in personal goods, food, drugs, or pesticides. The list is updated annually and now includes over 1,000 chemicals.

The proposition requires companies who use these substances in their products to notify consumers about the potential hazards posed by these substances. These businesses must also monitor and control chemical discharges to sources of drinking water. Manufacturers that fail to adhere to these regulations can be fined as much as $2,500 per violation per day.
 

Prepare for 2020: CA Hazardous Waste Training Coming this Fall

Join us in September or October when Lion’s California Hazardous Waste Training returns to the Golden State. This two-day workshop will help you meet the State/Federal annual training mandate while getting you up to speed on the critical Title 22 regulations and prepare you for new regs on the horizon that you must know to keep your facility in compliance.
 

• San Diego           Sept. 23–24
• Los Angeles        Sept. 26–27
• Bakersfield          Sept. 30–Oct. 1
• Oakland               Oct. 3–4

Tags: California, environmental, EPA, FIFRA, glyphosate, herbicide, pesticide, Prop 65, roundup