In Australia, glyphosate has been the pesticide of choice for Local Government, National Parks, Education and Health Departments, and other authorities.
With the ‘probable cancer’ determination of the International Agency for Research on Cancer for both glyphosate and 2.4-D, there was an initial flurry of concern about possible litigation.
In 2015, Statecover, compensation insurers of NSW Local Government organisations, sent a fact sheet to all local councils which recommends that they take a cautious approach and investigate their use of glyphosate. The process suggested involves councils undertaking a risk assessment of current weed control chemicals, and to consider a range of control measures to reduce risk. A similar notice issued from Worksafe Victoria. In February 2016, the Local Government Association of Queensland was seeking legal advice on behalf of local councils following the IARC report. By the end of 2017 no outcome had been made public.
These states awaited the outcome of the examination of the IARC’s full monograph by the federal Department of Health’s Office of Chemical Safety for the APVMA to then determine any regulatory action.
The Office of Chemical Safety, reviewed a number of the studies used by the IARC to come to their determination and found that “Based on the scientific appraisal of 19 studies identified to be critical to the IARC’s carcinogenicity classification of glyphosate, the OCS concluded that there is insufficient information to indicate that it poses a carcinogenic risk to humans.” The APVMA determined ‘no review needed’. No surprises there.
Monsanto’s influence globally on the regulatory process has been reviewed by Stacy Malkan from US Right to Know here. See also ‘But aren’t we protected by legislation?’ on our Herbicide Myths page.
The whole debate is somewhat misleading as causing cancer is not the only health impact – it also is an endocrine disruptor, affects the gut leading to numerous effects on the immune system and the brain, and many more.
As a result of strong regulation elsewhere, technological innovation has been high. One of the technologies frequently used, steam weeding, has been successfully developed by an Australian firm, Weedtechnics. According to Managing Director, Jeremy Winer: “There is a rapidly growing interest and swing towards non chemical weed control across Australia”.
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