Calling for suspension of all renewals of glyphosate products until PMRA review of new science and evaluation of risks

A group of environmental and health organizations, including Ecojustice and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, is requesting that the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) suspend all glyphosate product registration renewals scheduled for the end of 2022. The organizations argue that the PMRA's 2017 re-evaluation is outdated and fails to account for new scientific evidence regarding carcinogenicity, microbiome disruption, neurotoxicity, and environmental harm.

• The authors request that the PMRA suspend all glyphosate registration renewals expiring at the end of 2022 until up-to-date science is reviewed, asserting that the agency lacks "reasonable certainty that no harm will occur" based on recent research.
• The PMRA's 2017 re-evaluation of glyphosate is criticized for relying on 118 industry documents that were not peer-reviewed or published in academic journals, with 80.5% of those documents dating before 1996.
• Recent research suggests glyphosate-based herbicides can modify gut microbiota during early development, specifically before puberty, at maternal doses of 1.75 mg/kg bw/day. This is highlighted as a critical concern given that Canada is a world leader in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) for children aged 0-5, with a 7% annual increase in incidence.
• The document argues that the PMRA's carcinogenicity assessment is flawed because it mirrored the US EPA's approach, which was vacated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on June 17, 2022. The court found the EPA's conclusion that glyphosate was "not likely" to be carcinogenic was not supported by substantial evidence.
• New evidence is cited linking glyphosate to neurodegenerative disorders, reproductive toxicity, and endocrine disruption. Specifically, a 2018 study found that over 90% of pregnant women had detectable glyphosate in their urine, which correlated with shortened gestational lengths.
• The PMRA is accused of ignoring environmental risks, including the impact on milkweed and the migratory monarch butterfly (recently added to the IUCN red list), as well as the contribution of glyphosate to phosphorus loading in agricultural watersheds and the potential to exacerbate forest fires in forestry applications.
• The authors claim the PMRA has failed to investigate more than 50 incident reports submitted since 2017 and lacks essential Canada-specific data on food residues, use intensity, and a comprehensive water monitoring program.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (2022). Calling for suspension of all renewals of glyphosate products until PMRA review of new science and evaluation of risks. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022-10-27-Ltr-to-PMRA-re-glyphosate-renewals.pdf#new_tab

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Calling for suspension of all renewals of glyphosate products until PMRA review of new science and evaluation of risks. 2022. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022-10-27-Ltr-to-PMRA-re-glyphosate-renewals.pdf#new_tab.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=Calling for suspension of all renewals of glyphosate products until PMRA review of new science and evaluation of risks |date=27 October 2022 |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022-10-27-Ltr-to-PMRA-re-glyphosate-renewals.pdf#new_tab |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironment2022calling, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{Calling for suspension of all renewals of glyphosate products until PMRA review of new science and evaluation of risks}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2022}, month = oct, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022-10-27-Ltr-to-PMRA-re-glyphosate-renewals.pdf#new_tab}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }