CIDAD Study on Glyphosate

CICAD Study on Glyphosate (1)

Given the urgent need for an independent assessment on the effects of aerial dispersal of glyphosate on human health and environment, expressed by the international community, the Colombian government requested the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) of the Organization of American States (OAS) to undertake a scientific research on this matter.

A year later, on the 31st March 2005, CICAD released the results of its study - a joint work by an international team of scientists- on the effects of glyphosate. This Environmental and Human Health Assessment of the Aerial Spray Program for Coca and Poppy Control in Colombia reached the surprising conclusion that glyphosate does not represent a risk to human beings and the environment.The study is available on the CICAD website at: www.cicad.oas.org/en/glifosateFinalReport.pdf[PDF document]

The conclusions of this study have raised several critical reactions in Colombia by environmental organizations, academics, media, and even governmental bodies and specialists. Very important is the report released by the Instituto de Estudios Ambientales (IDEA) of Universidad Nacional de Colombia: Observaciones al Estudio de los efectos del Programa de erradicación de cultivos ilícitos mediante la aspersión aérea con el herbicida Glifosato (PECIG) y de los cultivos ilícitos en la salud humana y en el medio ambiente [PDF document] Bogota, 11 May 2005.
This report points at the methodological weaknesses of the CICAD study, and the serious omisions and inconsistencies present in the research.

Another important document containing arguments against the CICAD study is the Carta Abierta [PDF document] by the former government advisor Alberto Rueda, "Urgente aterrizaje del informe de la OEA sobre los efectos de la fumigación de los cultivos ilícitos".

TNI on the CIDAD Study

• The Politics of Glyphosate. The CICAD Study on the Impacts of Glyphosate and the Crop Figures TNI Drug Policy Briefing 14, June 2005

The Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), an agency affiliated with the OAS, recently joined the large number of existing scientific studies on the possible health and environmental effects of Round Up, the glyphosate formula being sprayed on illicit crops in Colombia. CICAD’s investigation, under the direction of an international scientific team, concluded that the chemicals used in the spraying — glyphosate and Cosmo-Flux — do not affect human health or the environment, and that at most they could cause temporary skin and eye irritation, but serious doubts exist. The National University of Colombia’s Environmental Studies Institute published a critical analysis of the CICAD study, which considered technical aspects of the investigation, finding methodological shortcomings, as well as omissions and inconsistencies throughout the report. Those findings could point to a lack of impartiality in the CICAD study.

• Ricardo Vargas A Few Comments about the OAS-CICAD Study of the Impact of Glyphosate used in the Eradication of Illicit Crops in Colombia TNI Website, 30 May 2005

On April 2005, the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), a division of the Organization of American States (OAS) released a study on the environmental and human health impacts of the aerial spray program in Colombia. This article highlights the weakness and omissions of that study.

References

1. Alternative Development Project Name: Environmental and Human Health Assessment of the Aerial Spray Program for Coca and Poppy Control in Colombia
Start date /Duration: 1 year (February 2004 - April 2005)
Location: The Amazon region, Caqueta, Lomeria, Guaviare; Amazonian Plain, Putumayo; foothills of the Catatumbo region in Tibu, North Santander; in the Magdalena and Cauca Medio region, Southern Bolivar; and the Colombian massif region and high Andean forest in the Department of Tolima Beneficiaries:
N/A Participating Institutions: The Government of Colombia
Budget: US$1,530,000
Donors: United Kingdom

Project Description: The overall objective of the project is to produce a scientifically based evaluation of the use of glysphosate and adjuvants in the control of coca production in Colombia. The specific focus of this project will be on the risk assessment and the research components.
Two different teams are participating in the project: a Scientific Assessment Team and a Permanent Technical Mobile Monitoring Group, that are expected to work very closely with one another.
The Scientific Assessment Team (SAT) will review publications and reports on the uses of glyphosate and adjuvants; conduct site visits; formulate questions and hypotheses; design field studies to collect local data; assess data and incorporate them into risk assessment; refine risk assessment; incorporate new data into risk assessment; and complete risk assessment.

The Permanent Technical Mobile Monitoring Group (PTG) will collect information on local issues and questions, which they will give to SAT; conduct field sampling and analysis from the design plans of the SAT; and conduct more field sampling and analysis after SAT refines the risk assessment the first time.
Results of the assessment are hoped to be obtained in one year.

Objectives: The objectives of the assessment are to

• provide a science-and data-based evaluation of the eradication program with key focuses on environment and human health, a collection of data for use in the assessment, address specific concerns that have been raised, and make the results known to the public and scientific community
• perform a visibly independent, high-quality scientific study of the Aerial Spray Program in Colombia on key impacts that glyphosate spraying has on people, fauna/flora and the environment
• establish a mobile monitoring mechanism capable of periodic random evaluations, investigating specific allegations and responding to specific controversies.
  Deliver results possibly within a year from the project start date.
  Promote the results as strongly as the science which underlies them.