March 31, 2015
To Whom It May Concern
Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd.
Evaluation of Glyphosate’s Carcinogenicity by IARC
From March 3 to 10 in 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
evaluated the carcinogenicity of glyphosate which is an active ingredient of Roundup® andseveral other pesticides. As a result, IARC announced on March 20 (local time) that glyphosate
would be classified into Group 2A (probably carcinogenic to humans).
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) classified glyphosate in the E
category, the least risky level. The EU and the Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) of theFAO/WHO concluded that there is no cause-and-effect link between glyphosate exposure andcancer. In January 2015, the national government of Germany completed a four-year evaluationof glyphosate which the country conducted representing the EU. Having closely examined many
researches including those reviewed by IARC, a regulatory authority in Germany concluded that
it is unlikely that glyphosate has a carcinogenic risk to humans.
The above findings led us to the conclusion that glyphosate has no carcinogenicity.
(Note) As of February 2015.
The following are IARC’s classification and examples:Classification
ExamplesNumberGroup 1: Carcinogenic to humans
Tabacco, ultraviolet radiation, alcoholic
116
beverages and solar radiation
Group 2A: Probably carcinogenic to
Acrylamide, mate(hot) and shiftwork that70
humansinvolves circadian disruption
Group 2B: Possibly carcinogenic toCoffee, aloe vera(whole leaf extract) and285
humanspickled vegetables(traditional in Asia)
Group 3: Not classifiable as to its
Cholesterol, tea, caffeine and mercury
506
carcinogenicity to humans
Group 4: Probably not carcinogenic to
Caprolactam [raw material for nylon]
1humans

IARC is a subsidiary organization of the World Health Organization (WHO). Based on thelimited number of literatures published, it evaluates the possibility of carcinogenicity for specificsubstances, environments or other factors and classifies into five groups. Glyphosate wasclassified into 2A, which contradicts other WHO programs that say glyphosate has nocarcinogenicity. In addition, the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality conclude thatglyphosate is not hazardous to human health.
Regulatory authorities in many countries including Japan examine pesticides continuously andrigorously based on the results of numerous studies which were conducted in line withappropriate guidelines on many different items including carcinogenicity, before approving theuse of the pesticide.
We do not think that the IARC’s classification of glyphosate will influence the existing
judgments of pesticide regulatory authorities.
Roundup® has been safely used around the world for 40 years. We will continue contributing toagriculture and environmental protection in Japan by remaining committed to the marketingand sales of Roundup®.

Contact information for inquiries on the above
Yamamoto, Inagaki and Aikawa
Planning and Development Department, Agricultural Division, Nissan ChemicalIndustries, Ltd.

TEL：03-3296-8151

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME ON CHEMICAL SAFETYENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH CRITERIA 159 GLYPHOSATE World Health Organization, Geneva, 1994
http://www.inchem.org/documents/ehc/ehc/ehc159.htm
JMPR (WHO/FAO). 2004. Pesticide Residues in Food. Report of the Joint Meeting ofthe FAO Panel of Experts on Pesticide Residues in Food and the Environment and theWHO Core Assessment Group. Part II-Toxicology, Glyphosate: 95-169. Rome, Italy 20-29 September 2004.
http://www.inchem.org/documents/jmpr/jmpmono/v2004pr01.pdf
WHO Drinking Water Guidelines for glyphosate and AMPA
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/GDW12rev1and2.pdf
European Food Safety Authority Rapporteur Member State assessment reports submitted for the EU peer
review of active substances used in plant protection products
http://dar.efsa.europa.eu/dar-web/provision
US. EPA. (1993) EPA: Glyphosate. EPA-738-F-93-011. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington,DC.
http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/reregistration/REDs/factsheets/0178fact.pdf
US EPA. 2013 Federal Register Final Rule Glyphosate; Pesticide Tolerances. 78 (84):25396-25401.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-05-01/pdf/2013-10316.pdf#search='US+EPA.+2013+Federal+Register+Final+Rule+Glyphosate%3B+Pesticide+Tolerances.+78+%2884%29%3A'European Commission. (2002) Report for the Active Substance Glyphosate, Directive
6511/VI/99, January 21.
http://ec.europa.eu/food/plant/protection/evaluation/existactive/list1_glyphosate_en.pdf#search='EC+glyphosate+2002'

IARC : Abbreviation for the International Agency for Research on Cancer which is located in
Lyon, France. Established as a subsidiary organization of WHO (World HealthOrganization), IARC’s aims include research on the causes and prevention of cancer
and the gathering and distribution of information about cancer.
FAO: FAO, the abbreviation for the Food and Agriculture Organization, is one of thespecialized agencies of the United Nations.

WHO : WHO, the abbreviation for the World Health Organization, is one of the specialized
agencies of the United Nations.