View source for Organization:International Agency for Research on Cancer

{{Short description|Intergovernmental agency}}
{{Infobox United Nations
| image = World Health Organization Logo.svg
| name = International Agency for Research on Cancer / {{lang|fr|Centre international de recherche sur le cancer}}
| map = 
| map_size = 
| map_caption = 
| type = Agency
| abbreviation = IARC, CIRC
| leader_title = Head
| leader_name = [[Biography:Elisabete Weiderpass|Elisabete Weiderpass]] (director)
| status = Active
| formation = {{Start date and age|1965|05|20|df=yes}}<ref>Resolution WHA18.44 of the [[Organization:World Health Assembly|World Health Assembly]] on 20 May 1965.</ref>
| headquarters = Lyon, France
| website = [https://www.iarc.who.int/ www.iarc.who.int]
| parent_organization = [[Organization:World Health Organization|World Health Organization]]
| subsidiaries = 
| footnotes = 
}}

The '''International Agency for Research on Cancer''' ('''IARC'''; {{lang-fr|Centre International de Recherche sur le Cancer, CIRC}}) is an intergovernmental agency forming part of the [[Organization:World Health Organization|World Health Organization]] of the {{wipe|United Nations}}.
Its role is to conduct and coordinate research into the causes of [[Medicine:Cancer|cancer]].<ref name="Colditz2015">{{cite book |editor-last=Colditz |editor-first=Graham A. |title=The SAGE Encyclopedia of Cancer and Society (International Agency for Research on Cancer) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mXxZDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT1323 |year=2015 |publisher=SAGE Publications |isbn=978-1-5063-0126-6 |pages=1323– }}</ref> It also [[Medicine:Cancer registry|collects]] and publishes [[Medicine:Disease surveillance|surveillance]] data regarding the occurrence of cancer worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www-dep.iarc.fr/  |title=Global cancer observatory|publisher=International Agency for Research on Cancer |date=2023 }}</ref>

Its IARC monographs programme identifies carcinogenic [[Hazard|hazard]]s and evaluates environmental [[Biology:Carcinogen|causes of cancer]] in humans.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://monographs.iarc.fr/ |title=IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans |publisher=International Agency for Research on Cancer |date=2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Caballero |editor-first=Benjamin |display-authors=et al. |title=Encyclopedia of Food and Health 
|date=2015 |publisher=Elsevier Science |isbn=978-0-12-384953-3 |page=658 }}</ref>

IARC has its own governing council, and in 1965 the first members were West Germany, {{wipe|France}}, Italy, the {{wipe|United Kingdom}}, and the {{wipe|United States of America}}.<ref name="Colditz2015"/> Today, IARC's membership has grown to 27 countries.<ref name="China joins"/>

== History ==
[[File:IARC Nouveau Centre Exterieur 2.jpg|thumb|243x243px|Exterior of the main building of the headquarters for the International Agency of Research on Cancer]]
In late February 1963, after he experienced his spouse suffering and dying of cancer, journalist and peace activist Yves Poggioli sent a letter to Emmanuel d'Astier de la Vignerie relating his story, and urging support for the creation of an international center to fight against cancer, whose funding where to be directly debited from the national budgets allocated to nuclear weaponry. Touched by the letter, d'Astier assembled a group of French prominent figures, among which [[Biography:Pierre Victor Auger|Pierre Auger]], [[Biography:Francis Perrin (physicist)|Francis Perrin]], [[Biography:Jean Hyppolite|Jean Hyppolite]], François Perroux, Pierre Massé, Louis Armand, {{Interlanguage link|François Bloch-Lainé|fr||WD=}}, [[Biography:Jean Rostand|Jean Rostand]], François Mauriac, Antoine Lacassagne, Ambroise-Marie Carré and Le Corbusier, to reach for French president Charles de Gaulle<ref>Sohier R., Sutherland A.G.B. (1990). [https://web.archive.org/web/20150908015907/http://www.iarc.fr/fr/publications/pdfs-online/treport-pub/treport-pub6/Rapport_Technique_du_CIRC_6_Genese_2015.pdf La genèse du CIRC/IARC], Rapport technique du CIRC no 6, p. 1–8</ref> in national newspaper ''Le Monde'' on the 8 November 1963. de Gaulle answered positively to the call and reached for the [[Organization:World Health Organization|World Health Organization]] director Marcolino Gomes Candau on the 11 November. The project rapidly gained momentum, and IARC was created on 20 May 1965, by a resolution of the World Health Assembly, as the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization.<ref name="Colditz2015"/> The Agency's headquarters building was provided by its host in Lyon, France.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Payer |first1=Lynn J. |title=IARC: An Environmental Approach to Cancer Research |journal=Science |series=New Series |date=November 24, 1972 |volume=178 |issue=4063 |pages=844–846 |doi=10.1126/science.178.4063.844|pmid=17754792 |bibcode=1972Sci...178..844P }}</ref>

The first IARC Director was John Higginson (1966–1981), who was followed by Lorenzo Tomatis (1982–1993), Paul Kleihues (1994–2003), [[Biography:Peter Boyle (epidemiologist)|Peter Boyle]] (2004–2008), Christopher Wild (2009–2018) and [[Biography:Elisabete Weiderpass|Elisabete Weiderpass]] (2019–present).

==Monographs==
In 1970, after IARC received numerous requests for lists of known and suspected human carcinogens, its advisory committee recommended that expert groups prepare a compendium on carcinogenic chemicals, which began publishing the ''IARC Monographs'' series with this aim in mind.<ref>http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Preamble/CurrentPreamble.pdf IARC, Preamble</ref><ref name="ObeMarchant2011">{{cite book|author1=Obe, Günter |author2=Marchant, Gary E. |author3= Jandrig, Burkhard|title=Cancer Risk Evaluation: Methods and Trends, Chapter 4: The IARC Monographs Programme|year=2011|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-3-527-63463-7}}</ref>

IARC identifies carcinogenic [[Hazard|hazard]]s based on qualitative assessment of animal and human evidence.<ref name="Klaassen2013">{{cite book|author=Klaassen, Curtis |title=Casarett & Doull's Toxicology: The Basic Science of Poisons, Eighth Edition|year=2013|publisher=McGraw Hill Professional|isbn=978-0-07-176922-8|page=91}}</ref> The IARC Working Groups classify agents, mixtures and exposures into one of five categories. The categorization is a matter of scientific judgement that reflects the strength of evidence derived from studies in humans, experimental animals and other relevant data.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|date=September 2015|orig-year=1991|title=Preamble to the IARC Monographs|url=http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Preamble/CurrentPreamble.pdf|journal=IARC Monographs|edition=January 2006|publisher=International Agency for Research on Cancer|pages=22–23|access-date=13 April 2018}}</ref> The classification is based only on the strength of evidence for carcinogenicity, not on the relative increase of cancer risk due to exposure, or on the amount of agent exposure necessary to cause cancer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inchem.org/documents/iarc/monoeval/eval.html|title=Evaluations of the strength of the evidence for carcinogenicity|access-date=2010-05-16|date=January 1999|publisher=International Programme on Chemical Safety}}</ref>

* [[Chemistry:List of IARC Group 1 carcinogens|Group 1]]: The agent is carcinogenic to humans.

There is ''sufficient'' evidence of carcinogenicity in humans. The determination is usually based on epidemiological studies on humans, but can also be based on ''sufficient'' evidence in experimental animals and ''strong'' evidence in exposed humans that the agent acts through a relevant mechanism of carcinogenicity.<ref name=":5" /> Examples of agents classified as Group 1 include tobacco smoke, alcoholic beverages, Chinese-style salted fish and consumption of processed meat.

* [[Chemistry:List of IARC Group 2A carcinogens|Group 2A]]: The agent is probably carcinogenic to humans.

There is ''limited'' evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and ''sufficient'' evidence in experimental animals. Occasionally, an agent (or mixture) may be classified here when there is ''inadequate'' evidence in humans but ''sufficient'' evidence in experimental animals ''and'' ''strong'' evidence that the carcinogenesis is mediated by a mechanism that also operates in humans. Exceptionally, an agent (or mixture) may solely be classified under this category if there is ''limited'' evidence of carcinogenicity in humans, but if it clearly belongs to this category based on mechanistic considerations.<ref name=":5" /> Examples of agents classified as Group 2A include emissions from high-temperature frying of food, the occupational exposures as a hairdresser or barber, consumption of red meat and night shift work .

* [[Chemistry:List of IARC Group 2B carcinogens|Group 2B]]: The agent is possibly carcinogenic to humans.

There is ''limited'' evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and ''less than sufficient'' evidence in experimental animals. It may also be used if there is ''inadequate'' evidence in humans but ''sufficient'' evidence in experimental animals. Occasionally, an agent (or mixture) may be placed in group 2B if there is ''inadequate'' evidence in humans and ''less than sufficient'' evidence in experimental animals ''but'' there ''is'' ''supporting'' evidence of carcinogenicity from mechanistic and other relevant data. An agent or a mixture may also be classified in this category solely on the basis of ''strong'' evidence of carcinogenicity from mechanistic and other relevant data.<ref name=":5" /> Examples of agents classified as Group 2B include occupational exposures in working in the textile manufacturing industry, printing processes, traditional Asian pickled vegetables, and radiofrequency electromagnetic fields.

* Group 3: The agent is not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans.

The evidence is ''inadequate'' in humans and ''inadequate'' or ''limited'' in experimental animals. Exceptionally, agents (or mixtures) where evidence is ''inadequate'' in humans but ''sufficient'' in experimental animals may be placed in this category only if there is ''strong'' evidence that the mechanism of carcinogenicity in experimental animals does not operate in humans.

Substances that do not fall into any other group are placed in this category. This is not a determination of non-carcinogenicity or overall safety. It means that further research is needed, especially when exposures are widespread or the cancer data are consistent with differing interpretations.<ref name=":5" />

As of August 2019, roughly 50% of all substances analyzed by IARC fall into this category.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|url=https://monographs.iarc.fr/agents-classified-by-the-iarc/|title=IARC Monographs – Classifications|website=monographs.iarc.fr|access-date=2019-08-26}}</ref>

* Group 4: The agent is probably not carcinogenic to humans.

There is evidence ''suggesting'' ''lack of'' carcinogenicity in humans and in experimental animals. In some instances, agents or mixtures for which there is ''inadequate'' evidence in humans but evidence ''suggesting'' lack of carcinogenicity in experimental animals, consistently and strongly supported by a broad range of mechanistic and other relevant data may be classified group 4.<ref name=":5" /> As of 2018, only [[Chemistry:Caprolactam|caprolactam]] falls under this category.<ref>{{cite web|title=Agents classified by the IARC Monographs|url=https://monographs.iarc.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/List_of_Classifications.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718234153/https://monographs.iarc.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/List_of_Classifications.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2018-07-18|access-date=2020-01-09|date=July 2018|publisher=International Agency for Research on Cancer}}</ref>

== Controversies ==

=== Transparency (1998–2004) ===
Lorenzo Tomatis, IARC director from 1982 to 1993, was allegedly "barred from entering the building" in 2003 after "accusing the IARC of softpedaling the risks of industrial chemicals"<ref name="Science2003">{{cite journal|author=Ferber D|date=July 2003|title=Carcinogens. Lashed by critics, WHO's cancer agency begins a new regime|journal=Science|volume=301|issue=5629|pages=36–37|doi=10.1126/science.301.5629.36|pmid=12843372|s2cid=8034222}}</ref> in a 2002 article.<ref name="Tomatis2002">{{cite journal|author=Tomatis L|year=2002|title=The IARC monographs program: changing attitudes towards public health|journal=Int J Occup Environ Health|volume=8|issue=2|pages=144–152|doi=10.1179/107735202800338993|pmid=12019681|s2cid=46530047}}</ref> In 2003 thirty public-health scientists signed a letter targeting conflicts of interest and the lack of transparency.<ref name="Science2003" /> Tomatis accused the IARC of "highly irregular" voting procedures, alleging industrial interferences, and called for the agency to publish voting procedures and names in details for independent scrutiny.<ref name="Science2003" />

The IARC rejected these criticisms, highlighting that only 17 of 410 of the working-group participants were consultants to industry and these people never served as chairs, nor were allowed to vote.<ref name="Science2003" /> The reason the details of the voting names were not published was to avoid political pressures on the participating Working Group scientists, and to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.<ref name="Science2003" />

=== Glyphosate monograph (2015–2018) ===
On 20 March 2015, IARC classified [[Chemistry:Glyphosate|glyphosate]], the most widely used [[Biology:Herbicide|weed killing substance]] in the world sold under the brand name of ''[[Biology:Roundup (herbicide)|Roundup]]'' by Monsanto,<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-cancer-iarc-exclusive-idUSKCN12P2FW|title=Exclusive: WHO cancer agency asked experts to withhold weedkiller documents|last=Kelland|first=Kate|date=2016-10-25|newspaper=Reuters|access-date=2016-11-28|location=London}}</ref> as "probably carcinogenic to humans" ([[Chemistry:List of IARC Group 2A carcinogens|Group 2A]]).<ref name="IARC press">{{Cite press release|title=IARC Monographs Volume 112: evaluation of five organophosphate insecticides and herbicides|date=2015-03-20|publisher=International Agency for Research on Cancer|location=Lyon, France|url=http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/iarcnews/pdf/MonographVolume112.pdf|access-date=2016-11-28}}</ref><ref name="IARC Mono 112">{{cite book |last1=International Agency for Research on Cancer |title=IARC Monographs, Volume 112. Glyphosate, in: Some Organophosphate Insecticides and Herbicides |publisher=IARC/WHO |location=Lyon |pages=321–412|date=2017 |url=https://monographs.iarc.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/mono112.pdf}}</ref>

Subsequently, many national regulatory authorities underwent a reevaluation of the risk posed by the exposure to glyphosate. Regulators in Europe ([[Organization:European Chemicals Agency|ECHA]], EFSA), Canada, Japan and New Zealand reported that the glyphosate was unlikely to pose any carcinogenic risk to humans.<ref name=":0" /> California put glyphosate on [[Chemistry:California Proposition 65 list of chemicals|its list of unsafe chemicals]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/crnr/glyphosate-listed-effective-july-7-2017-known-state-california-cause-cancer|title=Glyphosate Listed Effective July 7, 2017, as Known to the State of California to Cause Cancer|website=oehha.ca.gov|access-date=2019-08-09}}</ref>

Since the publishing, IARC claimed it has suffered unprecedented large-scale attacks on its reputation from the agro-chemical industry.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/iarcnews/pdf/IARC_response_to_criticisms_of_the_Monographs_and_the_glyphosate_evaluation.pdf|title=IARC response to criticisms of the Monographs and the glyphosate evaluation|date=January 2018|website=IARC|publication-date=2 February 2018|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref>

==== Industry reactions ====
The American Chemistry Council (ACC), the trade group for U.S. chemical companies, declared that IARC evaluates how hazardous a substance is based on whether the substance could "cause cancer in humans under any circumstances, including at exposure levels beyond what is typical."<ref name=":3" />

==== U.S. Congressional reactions ====
In early 2016, members of the scientific panel that reviewed glyphosate in 2015 were issued legal requests in the U.S. related to their work. In April 2016, internal IARC officials told its experts to not release documents or comply with the legal requests related to its review of glyphosate.<ref name=":0" />

In the fall of 2016, the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a briefing to ask officials from the [[Organization:National Institutes of Health|National Institutes of Health]] (NIH) about NIH's grant funding to the IARC.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|url=https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/congress-probes-nih-backing-of-cancer-agency/1017582.article|title=Congress probes NIH backing of cancer agency|last=Träger|first=Rebecca|date=2016-10-21|publisher=The Royal Society of Chemistry (Great Britain)|newspaper=Chemistry World|url-access=subscription |access-date=2016-11-28}}</ref> The NIH grant database showed that it has given the IARC over $1.2 million in 2016. Jason Chaffetz (Republican) asked the NIH to give his committee details of its standards for awarding grants and vetting grant nominees.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-cancer-iarc-idUSKCN1261WS|title=Exclusive: U.S. lawmakers to investigate funding of WHO cancer agency|last=Kelland|first=Kate|date=2016-10-06|newspaper=Reuters|access-date=2016-11-28|location=London}}</ref> Additionally, Congressman Robert Aderholt (Republican), chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, wrote a letter in June 2016 to the head of the NIH questioning the funding of IARC.<ref name=":2" /> Republican congressman Jason Chaffetz argued that the IARC is too prone to conclude that substances are carcinogenic.{{citation needed|date=October 2018}} However, IARC respond that the Working Groups methods are "widely respected for their scientific rigor, standardized and transparent process and for freedom from conflicts of interest."<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> Director of IARC Chris Wild further added that the IARC only chooses substances to evaluate from which there already exists a body of scientific literature that says there is a carcinogenic risk to humans. Wild said that because IARC does not select substances at random, it has a low rate of determining a substance as not being cancer-causing.<ref name=":3" />

====Criticism of monographs methodology====
On 26 October 2015, a Working Group of 22 experts from 10 countries evaluated the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and [[Chemistry:Processed meat|processed meat]] and classified the consumption of red meat as "probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A)", mainly related to colorectal cancer, and to pancreatic and prostate cancer. It also evaluated processed meat to be "carcinogenic to humans (Group 1)", due to "sufficient evidence in humans that the consumption of processed meat causes colorectal cancer".<ref name="WHO-20151026">{{cite news|url=http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2015/pdfs/pr240_E.pdf|title=World Health Organization – IARC Monographs evaluate consumption of red meat and processed meat|author=Staff|date=26 October 2015|work=International Agency for Research on Cancer|access-date=26 October 2015}}</ref><ref name="NYT-20151026">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/27/health/report-links-some-types-of-cancer-with-processed-or-red-meat.html|title=W.H.O. Report Links Some Cancers With Processed or Red Meat|last=Hauser|first=Christine|date=26 October 2015|work=The New York Times|access-date=26 October 2015}}</ref><ref name="BBC-20151026">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34615621|title=Processed meats do cause cancer – WHO|author=Staff|date=26 October 2015|work=BBC News|access-date=26 October 2015}}</ref>

Marcel Kuntz, a French director of research at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, criticized the classification because it did not assess the risks associated with exposure (probability of getting a cancer from certain exposure): for example, [[Chemistry:Red meat|red meat]] is qualified as probably [[Biology:Carcinogen|carcinogen]]ic, but the quantity of consumed red meat at which it could become dangerous is not specified.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.slate.fr/story/126602/pourquoi-fausses-sciences-gouvernent-monde|title=Pourquoi les fausses sciences gouvernent le monde (et pourquoi il faut mettre un terme à ce règne)|newspaper=Slate.fr|access-date=2016-11-07|language=fr-FR}}</ref> Ed Yong, a British science journalist, criticized the agency and its "confusing" category system for misleading the public.<ref name="TheAtlantic-20151026">{{cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/10/why-is-the-world-health-organization-so-bad-at-communicating-cancer-risk/412468/|title=Why is the World Health Organization so bad at communicating cancer risk?|author=Ed Yong|date=26 October 2015|work=The Atlantic|access-date=26 October 2015}}</ref> IARC answered in a press release their mission was not to evaluate potency or to assess the risks but only to determine scientifically the strength of carcinogenetic evidence of [[Chemistry:Glyphosate|glyphosate]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/iarcnews/pdf/IARC_response_to_criticisms_of_the_Monographs_and_the_glyphosate_evaluation.pdf|title=IARC response to criticisms of the Monographs and the glyphosate evaluation|date=January 2018|publisher=IARC|pages=8–9|publication-date=2 February 2018|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref>

Some of the items that the IARC classifies, such as mobile phones (Group 2B) and processed meat (Group 1) have caused controversy.<ref name=":0" /> The agency has also classified drinking very hot beverages{{snd}}around {{convert|70|C|F}}{{snd}}as a probable carcinogen (Group 2A).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-06-15 |title=IARC Monographs evaluate drinking coffee, maté, and very hot beverages |url=https://www.iarc.who.int/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/pr244_E.pdf |publisher=IARC}}</ref>

==== Toxic tort law firms ====

In 2019 IARC was accused of cooperation with "toxic tort law firms" who make profit of suing companies for compensation for alleged health issues based on IARC classification. IARC was accused from hiding conflicts of interest impacting a few invited experts, especially those related to large-scale cash flows from US law firms.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2019/03/01/predatort-part-ii-how-predatory-lawyers-activist-scientists-hijacked-iarc-international-agency-for-research-on-cancer-for-personal-profit-and-ideological-vanity/|title=Predatort Part II: How predatory lawyers, activist scientists hijacked IARC – International Agency for Research on Cancer – for personal profit and ideological vanity|date=2019-03-01|website=Genetic Literacy Project |language=en|access-date=2019-05-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://european-seed.com/2019/04/american-tort-lawyers-and-iarc-a-toxic-mutual-interest/|title=American Tort Lawyers and IARC: A Toxic Mutual Interest|date=2019-04-12|website=EuropeanSeed|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-11}}</ref>

===Aspartame (2023)===

In July 2023, an IARC committee concluded that there was "limited evidence" for [[Chemistry:Aspartame|aspartame]] causing cancer in humans, classifying the sweetener as possibly carcinogenic.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(23)00341-8/fulltext |title=Carcinogenicity of aspartame, methyleugenol, and isoeugenol|vauthors=Riboli E, Beland FA, Lachenmeier DW|display-authors=et al.|journal=The Lancet Oncology |volume= 24|issue= 8| year=2023 |pages=848–850 |doi=10.1016/S1470-2045(23)00341-8|pmid=37454664 |hdl=2158/1320996|s2cid=259894482 |hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref name="who7-13">{{cite web |title=Aspartame hazard and risk assessment results released (news release) |url=https://www.who.int/news/item/14-07-2023-aspartame-hazard-and-risk-assessment-results-released |publisher=World Health Organization |access-date=14 July 2023 |date=13 July 2023}}</ref> The lead investigator of the IARC report stated that the classification "shouldn't really be taken as a direct statement that indicates that there is a known cancer hazard from consuming aspartame. This is really more of a call to the research community to try to better clarify and understand the carcinogenic hazard that may or may not be posed by aspartame consumption."<ref name="naddaf">{{cite journal |last1=Naddaf |first1=Miryam |title=Aspartame is a possible carcinogen: the science behind the decision |journal=Nature |date=14 July 2023 |doi=10.1038/d41586-023-02306-0 |pmid=37452160 |s2cid=259904544 |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02306-0}}</ref>

A WHO expert committee on food additives added that the limited cancer assessment indicated no reason to change the recommended [[Chemistry:Acceptable daily intake|acceptable daily intake]] level for aspartame of 40 mg per kg of body weight per day, reaffirming the safety of consuming aspartame within this limit.<ref name=who7-13/>

The US Food and Drug Administration responded to the report by stating:<ref name="fda7-14">{{cite web |date=14 July 2023 |title=Aspartame and Other Sweeteners in Food |url=https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/aspartame-and-other-sweeteners-food |access-date=14 July 2023 |publisher=US Food and Drug Administration |archive-date=29 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629234038/https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/aspartame-and-other-sweeteners-food |url-status=live }}</ref><blockquote>Aspartame being labeled by IARC as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" does not mean that aspartame is actually linked to cancer. The FDA disagrees with IARC's conclusion that these studies support classifying aspartame as a possible carcinogen to humans. FDA scientists reviewed the scientific information included in IARC's review in 2021 when it was first made available and identified significant shortcomings in the studies on which IARC relied.</blockquote>

== Members ==
The five founding states were the {{wipe|United States}}, {{wipe|France}}, Italy, West Germany and the {{wipe|United Kingdom}}.

They were later joined by 21 other members, of which 3 left:
{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2" |Countries
! colspan="2" |Entry
! colspan="2" |Exit
|-
!Date
!Resolution
!Date
!Resolution
|-
|{{wipe|Australia}}
|September 1965
|GC/1/R1
|
|
|-
|[[Place:Soviet Union|USSR]] then {{wipe|Russia}}
|September 1965
|GC/1/R2
|
|
|-
|[[Place:Israel|Israel]]
|April 1966
|GC/2/R1
|October 1971
|GC/9/R11
|-
|Netherlands
|April 1967
|GC/3/R1
|
|
|-
|Belgium
|October 1970
|GC/8/R10
|
|
|-
|{{wipe|Japan}}
|May 1972
|GC/10/R1
|
|
|-
|Sweden
|May 1979
|GC/18/R1
|
|
|-
|{{wipe|Canada}}
|January 1982
|GC/22/R1
|
|
|-
|{{wipe|Finland}}
|April 1986
|GC/27/R1
|
|
|-
|{{wipe|Norway}}
|April 1987
|GC/28/R1
|
|
|-
|{{wipe|Denmark}}
|May 1990
|GC/31/R1
|
|-
|{{wipe|Switzerland}}
|May 1990
|GC/31/R2
|
|
|-
|{{wipe|Argentina}}
|May 1998
|GC/39/R1
|May 2001
|GC/42/R3
|-
|{{wipe|Brazil}}
|May 1998
|GC/39/R2
|May 2001
|GC/42/R4
|-
|{{wipe|Spain}}
|May 2003
|GC/44/R1
|
|
|-
|{{wipe|India}}
|May 2006
|GC/48/R1
|
|
|-
|{{wipe|South Korea}}
|May 2006
|GC/48/R2
|
|
|-
|Ireland
|May 2007
|GC/49/R2
|
|
|-
|Austria
|May 2008
|GC/50/R18
|
|
|-
|{{wipe|Brazil}}
|May 2013
|GC/55/17
|
|
|-
|Qatar
|May 2013
|GC/55/19
|
|
|-
|Morocco
|May 2015
|GC/57/19
|
|
|-
|{{wipe|China}}
|May 2021<ref name="China joins">{{Cite press release |title=China joins the International Agency for Research on Cancer |publisher=International Agency for Research on Cancer |location=Lyon, France |date=17 May 2021 |url=https://www.iarc.who.int/news-events/china-joins-the-international-agency-for-research-on-cancer/ |access-date=2021-05-18}}</ref>
|GC/63/
|
|
|}

== See also ==
{{Commons}}
* [[Earth:Air pollution|Air pollution]]
* [[Medicine:European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition|European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition]]
* European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)
* Genotoxic
* [[Physics:Mutagen|Mutagen]]
* [[Organization:National Cancer Institute|National Cancer Institute]] (US)
* [[Chemistry:Toxicology|Toxicology]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==

{{Carcinogen}}

{{Coord|45.7435|N|4.8761|E|display=title|type:landmark_region:FR}}

[[Category:International medical and health organizations]]

{{Sourceattribution|International Agency for Research on Cancer}}