A group of NGOs filed a lawsuit in an Austrian court. They allege that Bayer concealed data on health risks. Exposure to the herbicide glyphosate is the focus of controversy, as reported by Phys Org.
In September, the European Commission proposed renewing the authorization to use glyphosate in the EU for 10 years. This followed a report from the European Food Safety Authority that found no reason to block it. The news was released on October 4th. This measure provoked a negative reaction from environmental groups. These groups claim scientific evidence that glyphosate can cause cancer, poison aquatic life and be fatal to key pollinators such as bees.
In the road test, we used two types of mixture, and Bayer and some experts have disputed these claims.
Prosecutors in Vienna opened an investigation in 2019 after NGOs filed lawsuits alleging the risks of the herbicide, as reported in the text.
As part of this investigation, the Global 2000 association handed over new documents to prosecutors. According to her, these documents showed that Bayer had not presented research results. This research indicated risks to the nervous system, especially for pregnant women and children.
The association said that, together with PAN Europe, it submitted a statement of facts to the Vienna Public Prosecutor's Office on September 27.
Accusations of Bayer hiding data on glyphosate raise concerns
Bayer, however, in its reauthorization request, erroneously excluded unfavorable data. It also presented results in a misleading way, furthermore, trying to deceive authorities and the public. Helmut Burtscher-Schaden, a biochemist at the independent Austrian environmental organization Global 2000, said this in an interview with AFP.
Bayer, which sells the widely used glyphosate under the Roundup brand, denied having “concealed any scientific studies,” saying in a statement that it “has always acted in a completely transparent manner.”
Since buying US agrochemical company Monsanto, owner of Roundup, for US$$63 billion in 2018, Bayer has faced a series of legal challenges.
In 2021, a San Francisco appeals court ordered the company to pay US$87 million to a couple who claimed they contracted non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after using Roundup for years.
The World Health Organization's (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified glyphosate as a “probable carcinogen”.
“We think it’s important for decision makers to know that risk assessments were based on incorrect or incomplete data,” Burtscher-Schaden said.
Global 2000 and PAN Europe eventually joined with France-based Generations Futures to submit the latest request, for example, according to the report.
Source: Oils & Fats International
