On April 21, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) sued the EPA, alleging a seven-year failure to act on a 2018 petition seeking lower glyphosate limits in oat-based foods. The lawsuit was filed in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and aims to force action on children’s health safety regarding the herbicide.
The petition also asks for a ban on use of glyphosate as a pre-harvest drying agent, according to a press release.
“The EPA has a clear legal duty to act on this petition, and it has simply refused to do so,” Caroline Leary, EWG’s general counsel and COO, said. “This kind of delay has real consequences for families who rely on the agency to ensure children are not exposed to toxic farm chemical residues like glyphosate.”
In the suit, EWG requests a reduction in the glyphosate tolerance level for oats from 30 ppm to 0.1 ppm and a ban on its use as a pre-harvest desiccant. The petition highlights potential risks to children, arguing the EPA has failed to uphold standards set by the Food Quality Protection Act referencing 2018 tests, which shows widespread glyphosate contamination in children’s cereal, with levels exceeding EWG’s health benchmarks.
“Parents shouldn’t have to second-guess whether everyday foods like cereal and snack bars are putting their children at risk of cancer,”Ken Cook, EWG president and co-founder, said. “The EPA’s silence leaves families in the dark and falls far short of its responsibility to protect public health.”
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