Why worry about mucky mouse butts and cancer?

Objection to Glyphosate Registration

Glyphosate is the most-used herbicide in Canada and around the world, and according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) glyphosate probably causes cancer including non-Hodgkin lymphoma (Monograph available here).

Prevent Cancer Now has summarized concerns, followed controversies, submitted comments to the federal Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), and now, along with Équiterre, David Suzuki Foundation, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and Environmental Defence, has formally objected to the glyphosate re-registration. The objection process has no timelines and is secretive, so we are asking the Minister of Health for a formal review.

So, what does this have to do with mucky mouse (and rat) butts? As described in the objection, industry-provided studies examined in the PMRA Reading Room reported that animals eating glyphosate had, well, mucky butts. This sign of effects in the intestines is consistent with glyphosate being an antibiotic, changing the microbial makeup (microbiome) and inducing inflammation. Anal staining and leakage was not, however, considered to be “adverse” so had no impact on the assessment conclusions.

In related news, in 2017 inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Canadian youth below sixteen years of age increased 4.6% annually from 1999-2010, driven by a horrifying 7% annually increased incidence in children younger than five. Doubtless with common causes as IBD, from 1997 to 2010 colorectal cancer increased 6.7% per year in 15 to 29 year old Canadians.

This is but one of many concerns regarding the glyphosate registration — check out the 58 page objection for more!