Congratulations to everyone who supported the action of the CA Guild, Moms Across America, and many more to have glyphosate be listed on the Prop 65 carcinogen list! We are extremely happy and proud to share that the California EPA Office of Environmental Health Hazzard Assessment has announced that the Monsanto lawsuit has been dismissed and glyphosate will be listed officially and legally on julio 7, 2017 on the Prop 65 carcinogen list.
Read the announcement here: https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/crnr/glyphosate-listed-effective-july-7-2017-known-state-california-cause-cancer

And Reuter's article here: http://www.reuters.com/article/usa-glyphosate-california-idUSL1N1JN1L7

This is HUGE.

It could have gone another way. The Judge could have caved to corporate pressure. The scientists and team at OEHHA could have been intimidated by the legal tactics of Monsanto. But they did not waiver. They looked at the sound science showing the carcinogenic effects of glyphosate in many studies, and by all legal and sound scientific measures, added glyphosate, used in the most widely sprayed herbicide in the world, to the California carcinogen list.

We can clearly see that public action matters. When glyphosate was first announced to be listed the OEHHA comment page they received more comments than any other time in history. You did that!

Together, we ARE raising awareness and taking action to protect the health of current and future generations.

We cannot thank you enough.

What does this listing mean?

As soon as the No Significant Risk Level is set...(expect months) within a year everything that contains glyphosate above that level (lifetime exposure to that product for an average consumer) will have to be labeled with a warning in the state of California.

For instance, if the average consumer of hummus eats hummus twice a week every other week, the company will have to first test for glyphosate and then figure out how much exposure their customer would be exposed to over their lifetime at that consumer pattern. Because glyphosate accumulates in the bone marrow, that amount would have to be carried over and factored in. If that lifetime exposure exceeds the NSRL ( current proposal is 1100 micrograms per day- 4000 times higher than has been shown to cause liver disease) than that container of hummus would have to have a warning label that it contains an ingredient which causes cancer. The most recent tests for glyphosate on garbanzo beans (chickpeas) which make up hummus and wheat pita, a common lunch or snack especially for health-conscious consumers, of 3 oz each, was 1640 micrograms of glyphosate total. This amount, one serving in one day, obviously exceeds the proposed NSRL of 1100 micrograms per day.

The California law states that companies with 10 or more employees that expose Californians to chemicals on the Prop 65 list at levels above the relevant NSRL must provide a clear and reasonable warning prior to the exposure.

If a company does not comply and label, according to the OEHHA officials: "As noted in our Prop 65 in plain language FAQ (https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/general-info/proposition-65-plain-language), penalties can be $2,500 per violation per day. Most Prop 65 enforcement is done by private parties. Any person can file a 60-day notice with the attorney general to allege a P65 violation."

This means citizen action will be able to hold any company responsible for glyphosate exposure. Funding for tests for glyphosate is now more important than ever. If you know persons or foundations that would like to fund testing please let us know. [email protected]. We need your help.

We would hope those food companies would take the initiative, however, and test for themselves. We would hope that within the next year, food manufacturers will source growers who do not use glyphosate herbicides. You may write your favorite companies and ask them to get tested and to be certified as Glyphosate Residue Free.

We also ask our neighbors and cities to stop spraying glyphosate herbicides. Community Flyer here.

We also request that you return any Roundup you, your parents, or neighbors have to the hardware store on julio 7, 2017 the day the listing is enacted. Take a picture of yourself doing this and post it online! Share this random act of kindness initiative: Thank you Linda Mulligan for this great idea! Watch her video here.

Although we are sure Monsanto will continue to fight this listing, as they stand to lose billions of dollars in profits, we are also sure people like you will continue to speak up for the health and safety of our community. Big chemical companies may be able to squelch media coverage, but they cannot stop you and me from sharing with our neighbors at backyard barbecues and preschool parking lots. They cannot stop of from being in public spaces and passing out flyers with alternatives to Roundup. (Get yours here!) They cannot stop us from being in parades, festivals, fairs, and holding movie nights to watch our new documentary El aumento de las comunidades.

We will not stop, we will not give up, because the love for our children will never end!

Thanks again for all you do!