Environmental Working Group Sues EPA Over Glyphosate in Oats, Citing Risk to Children’s Health

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is violating federal law by failing to respond to a petition seeking stricter glyphosate limits in oats, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).

Oats have been found to contain glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup weedkiller, at levels that put children’s and babies’ health at risk, according to EWG.

EWG President and co-Founder Ken Cook said in a press release:

“Parents shouldn’t have to second-guess whether everyday foods like cereal and snack bars are putting their children at risk of cancer. The EPA’s silence leaves families in the dark and falls far short of its responsibility to protect public health.”

In 2018, EWG petitioned the EPA to tighten the allowable limits for glyphosate in oats. The petition also asked the EPA to ban the use of glyphosate as a preharvest drying agent.

EWG’s lawsuit, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, alleges the EPA is unlawfully delaying a response to the petition. The suit asks for a court order requiring the EPA to respond to the petition by a clear deadline and make a safety determination about glyphosate in oats.

According to the complaint:

“Congress required EPA to ensure that pesticide residues in food are safe, with particular protection for children. Yet, more than seven years after being presented with substantial scientific evidence that the current tolerance for glyphosate in oats may not meet that standard, EPA has failed to make any final, reviewable determination.”

“For seven years, the EPA has left this critical issue unresolved,” Cook said. “It’s time for the agency to stop stalling and do its job.”