Authored by Troy Myers via The Epoch Times,
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told senators on April 21 that glyphosate, a key ingredient in herbicides like Roundup, causes cancer and that human consumption of the chemical should be minimized.
His comments came amid growing political and legalcontroversyover the chemical, which is widely used in agriculture. During a Senate Budget Committee hearing, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) asked Kennedy whether the chemical caused cancer.
Without hesitation, Kennedy replied, “Yes.” Schatz also asked if the chemical was safe for human use.
“I mean, safe, or does it kill weeds? It kills weeds,”Kennedy said.“I would say it’s important to minimize consumption of glyphosate as much as possible.”
Schatz told Kennedy he was being “uncharacteristically diplomatic about glyphosate,” which Kennedy, a standard-bearer for the Make America Healthy Again movement, denied.
Kennedy helped secure a $289 million award from Monsanto in 2018 while representing a client who alleged Roundup caused him to develop non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Now, Kennedy is the leading health official for an administration that is defending Monsanto in a Supreme Court case set for oral argument just days after the health secretary’s testimony.
That case, known as Monsanto v. Durnell, similarly involves a man alleging that Monsanto’s Roundup caused him to develop non-Hodgkins lymphoma.The Justice Department didn’targueas much on glyphosate’s alleged health hazards as it did that the lower-court verdict against Monsanto was legally flawed.
President Donald Trump addressed the issue in February, signing an executiveorderthat said glyphosate-based herbicides were critical to the nation’s economy and national security.
“Any major restrictions in access to glyphosate-based herbicides would result in economic losses for growers and make it untenable for them to meet growing food and feed demands,” his order reads.
Source: ZeroHedge News
