By Jamie Martin
Federal regulators are creating a new framework for scientific collaboration as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continues its registration review of glyphosate.
Under a new Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the agencies will coordinate research, exchange scientific information and work to address evidence gaps involving potential human health effects.
The agreement does not transfer EPA’s regulatory authority. EPA will remain responsible for making registration decisions under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, and officials said the partnership will not dictate the eventual outcome of the review.
“FIFRA requires us to reexamine registered pesticides on a recurring cycle against the best available science, and that is exactly what we are doing with glyphosate. This agreement with Secretary Kennedy and HHS gives our scientists access to research capacity at HHS that addresses potential gaps in the record," said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.
"EPA will weigh what that work produces the way we weigh any other scientific evidence. We will evaluate the relevant evidence, address important scientific questions, and show our work, providing insight into how the science informs our decisions, as we always do, to conduct the most transparent and thorough review possible,” Zeldin added.
A joint technical working group will bring together experts from EPA and multiple HHS agencies. The group will identify important scientific questions, coordinate research, and share information while keeping its activities aligned with EPA’s registration-review timeline.
Participating HHS organizations include the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Toxicology Program, National Cancer Institute, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health and the Food and Drug Administration.
The research effort will examine several areas, including the toxicology of glyphosate products and surfactants, occupational epidemiology, human exposure, biomonitoring, and dietary exposure.
EPA also intends to review relevant peer-reviewed research published since its previous assessment and explain how qualifying evidence affects its updated conclusions.
EPA’s human-health assessment will examine dietary and occupational exposure, including exposure associated with glyphosate-based formulations. It will also evaluate available evidence involving cancer, genotoxicity, reproduction, and development.
Potential data gaps could lead to additional research, testing, or monitoring, including work involving the microbiome.
The agencies also plan greater transparency by making appropriate working-group materials available through EPA’s public docket as they are finalized, while protecting confidential information.
EPA’s current glyphosate review is expected to produce an updated human-health assessment as the agency continues its registration-review process.
Photo Credit: environment-protection-agency
Categories: National