{"id":3322,"date":"2026-04-21T21:00:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T01:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/?p=3322"},"modified":"2026-04-21T21:00:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T01:00:09","slug":"ewg-sues-epa-for-7-year-inaction-on-glyphosate-in-oats-citing-risks-to-childrens-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/?p=3322","title":{"rendered":"EWG sues EPA for 7-year inaction on glyphosate in oats, citing risks to children\u2019s health"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The Environmental Working Group today filed a lawsuit in federal court<\/a> claiming the Environmental Protection Agency is unlawfully delaying a response to the group\u2019s petition seeking stricter limits in oats on the notorious herbicide glyphosate. <\/p>\n

The petition also asks for a ban on use of glyphosate as a pre-harvest drying agent. <\/p>\n

In its suit, EWG urges the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to compel the EPA to respond to the petition, which has languished at the agency for seven years.<\/p>\n

EWG argues the agency\u2019s inaction violates federal law, which requires a timely response to petitions. The delay leaves millions of Americans \u2013 especially infants and young children \u2013 potentially exposed to unsafe levels of the weedkiller in many foods marketed to kids.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe EPA has a clear legal duty to act on this petition, and it has simply refused to do so,\u201d said Caroline Leary<\/a>, EWG\u2019s general counsel and COO. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis 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,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

The suit comes ahead of oral arguments in the Supreme Court on April 27<\/a> in a case centered on allegations that Monsanto \u2013 which sold the glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup \u2013 failed to warn consumers about the health risks linked to exposure to the product.<\/p>\n

That case could have sweeping implications for whether farmers and consumers can keep pursuing lawsuits for harms linked to glyphosate, and whether states can require warning labels on glyphosate products.<\/p>\n

History of EWG\u2019s request<\/h3>\n

EWG first filed its petition in 2018<\/a>, under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, later amending it in 2019.<\/p>\n

The petition presents scientific evidence that the EPA\u2019s current \u201ctolerances\u201d \u2013 or allowable levels \u2013 of glyphosate on oats do not adequately protect children\u2019s health. <\/p>\n

It also calls for an end to the practice of spraying glyphosate shortly before harvest, known as pre-harvest dessication, which greatly increases residue levels in final food products.<\/p>\n

In 2018, two rounds of EWG-commissioned laboratory tests found widespread glyphosate contamination of oat-based foods. In the first round<\/a> of tests, glyphosate was detected in nearly all non-organic oat products tested, with most samples exceeding EWG\u2019s health benchmark of 160 parts per billion<\/a> for children.<\/p>\n

The second round of tests<\/a> focused on popular kids\u2019 cereals and found glyphosate in 100% of samples, again with the majority above EWG\u2019s health benchmark. <\/p>\n

Together the findings point to pervasive low-level exposure in everyday foods and raise concerns about current federal safety standards.<\/p>\n

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, the most widely used herbicide in the U.S. and around the world. While commonly applied to control weeds in farm fields, it is also used late in the growing season on crops like oats to accelerate drying before harvest. This practice leaves little time for the chemical to break down, resulting in higher residues in foods such as oat cereals, granola bars and snacks kids often eat.<\/p>\n

Cancer risk<\/h3>\n

EWG\u2019s petition and supporting data say oat-based foods are a major source of dietary exposure to glyphosate, particularly for infants and toddlers. Because young children eat more food relative to their body weight than adults, they can face disproportionately higher exposure levels.<\/p>\n

\u201cParents shouldn\u2019t have to second-guess whether everyday foods like cereal and snack bars are putting their children at risk of cancer,\u201d said EWG President and co-Founder Ken Cook<\/a>. \u201cThe EPA\u2019s silence leaves families in the dark and falls far short of its responsibility to protect public health.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act<\/a>, the EPA must ensure that pesticide residue limits in food are \u201csafe\u201d \u2013 that there\u2019s a reasonable certainty of no harm, with special protections for infants and children. <\/p>\n

The Administrative Procedure Act<\/a> also guarantees the public the right to petition the agency and receive a timely, reasoned response. EWG contends that the EPA\u2019s prolonged inaction violates both requirements.<\/p>\n

The EPA avoiding responsibility<\/h3>\n

EWG further argues that the agency\u2019s delay prevents judicial review of a final decision on the group\u2019s requests, and undermines accountability. By failing to issue a final decision, the agency is falling short of its legal obligations while also blocking courts from evaluating whether those obligations have been satisfied.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is exactly the kind of situation where courts are meant to step in,\u201d said Leary. \u201cThe EPA cannot avoid its responsibilities simply by doing nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

EWG\u2019s petition also raises concerns about how current glyphosate tolerance levels were established. The allowable limit for glyphosate on oats has increased dramatically over time, from 0.1 parts per million, or ppm, in the early 1990s, to 30 ppm today. <\/p>\n

According to the petition, those increases were driven not by new safety data but by efforts to align U.S. standards with international trade standards.<\/p>\n

At the same time as the EPA has increased the tolerance levels, scientific debate over glyphosate health effects has persisted. <\/p>\n

In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as \u201cprobably carcinogenic to humans,\u201d<\/a> citing evidence from animal studies and limited human data. While the EPA has reached different conclusions in some assessments, it has acknowledged data gaps and internal disagreements about the chemical\u2019s potential risks.<\/p>\n

\u2018Stop stalling\u2019<\/h3>\n

EWG\u2019s lawsuit does not ask the court to determine whether glyphosate is safe or unsafe.<\/p>\n

But it does seek a court order requiring the EPA to respond to the petition by a firm deadline, make the safety determination and explain its reasoning, as the law requires.<\/p>\n

EWG argues that further delay would continue to expose families to potential risks. More inaction would also deny them transparency and accountability from an agency whose purpose is to protect the public from toxic chemicals like glyphosate.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor seven years, the EPA has left this critical issue unresolved,\u201d Cook said. \u201cIt\u2019s time for the agency to stop stalling and do its job.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Environmental Working Group today filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming the Environmental Protection Agency is unlawfully delaying a response to the group\u2019s petition seeking stricter limits in oats on the notorious herbicide glyphosate. The petition also asks for a ban on use of glyphosate as a pre-harvest drying agent. In its suit, EWG […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"registered_only","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[742],"class_list":["post-3322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ciencia-y-tecnologia","tag-vr-news-net"],"yoast_head":"\nEWG sues EPA for 7-year inaction on glyphosate in oats, citing risks to children\u2019s health - VR-NEWS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/vr-news.net\/?p=3322\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"EWG sues EPA for 7-year inaction on glyphosate in oats, citing risks to children\u2019s health - VR-NEWS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Environmental Working Group today filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming the Environmental Protection Agency is unlawfully delaying a response to the group\u2019s petition seeking stricter limits in oats on the notorious herbicide glyphosate. The petition also asks for a ban on use of glyphosate as a pre-harvest drying agent. 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