Glyphosate Update

May 20-21, 2020 Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee Meeting

Background:

•	Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum non-selective herbicide registered for use on many
agricultural crops, in non-crop areas, in residential areas, for aquatic weed control, and in
commercial settings. It is also registered for use on glyphosate-resistant crop varieties
including corn, soybean, canola, cotton, sugar beets, and wheat.

•	EPA initiated registration review for glyphosate (used in RoundUp formulations) in 2009.

•	In 2015, an International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) report classified glyphosate
as "probably carcinogenic to humans." All other international fora, including all regulatory
bodies, have concluded that glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic.

•	In December 2017, EPA released draft human health and ecological risk assessments for
glyphosate. EPA's assessment concluded that glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to
humans.

•	In March 2018, EPA opened a 60-day public comment period on draft human health and
ecological risk assessments with supporting documents for glyphosate.

•	EPA received 250,000 public comments on the draft assessment. The majority of comments
are from mass mailing campaigns; approximately 200 distinct substantiative comments were
reviewed and resulted in changes to the agency's assessments.

•	In April 2019, EPA released the proposed interim registration review decision (PID) which
outlined the proposed mitigation measures to reduce potential ecological risks identified in
the draft risk assessment.

•	During the 120-day comment period, EPA received 283,300 comments on the PID. The
majority of comments were from mass mailing campaigns; approximately 120 unique
substantive comments were reviewed. The comments received on the PID were similar to the
comments received during the previous comment periods on the glyphosate risk assessments
and did not result in changes to the agency's risk assessments, but did result result in minor
changes to the ecological risk mitigation measures.

•	In January 2020, EPA issued the glyphosate Interim Registration Review Decision (Interim
Decision).

•	Under a partial settlement agreement, pursuant to a joint stipulation filed on October 18,
2019, and entered by the court on October 22, 2019 in Center for Biological Diversity et. al.
v. EPA et al., EPA is scheduled to complete draft biological evaluations (BEs) on atrazine
and simazine in September 2020 and final BEs in September 2021. EPA will also be
conducting BEs for glyphosate according to the same schedule. If necessary, EPA will
initiate formal or informal consultation under the Endangered Species Act with the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service with the final BE.

Overview of Health Findings:

•	The agency found no human health risks of concern when the product is used according to
the pesticide label.

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•	The agency's scientific findings are consistent with the conclusions of science reviews by a
number of international expert panels and regulatory authorities and includes the most recent
data published by National Institutes of Health Agricultural Health Survey in 2018.

Overview of Interim Decision:

•	In January 2020, EPA released the Interim Decision, which outlined required mitigation
measures to reduce potential ecological risks and included the following label changes:

o Spray drift management measures (e.g., release height, droplet size, and wind speed

restrictions) to reduce off-site exposure to non-target wildlife,
o Weed resistance management labeling (e.g., information on mode of action, scouting

instructions, and reporting instructions for weed resistance),
o Label consistency measures including updating the presentation of maximum

application parameters, updating the environmental hazards statement for aquatic use,
and clarification on rotational crop timing,
o EPA is committed to protecting pollinators, including the monarch butterfly, from
pesticide exposure. As with all other herbicides, EPA has updated the label language
for these pesticides to raise awareness of their potential effects to pollinator habitat
and direct users to instructions on minimizing spray drift. EPA's strategy to protect
the monarch butterfly also includes collaborating with federal, state, and other
stakeholders on conservation efforts and promoting best management and integrated
pest management practices to reduce spray drift and help preserve pollinator habitat.

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