EPA finalizes Roundup residue limit

According to the rule, "EPA concludes that there is a reasonable certainty that no harm will result to the general population or to infants and children from aggregate exposure to glyphosate residues."

The limit was requested by a research project at Rutgers University that specializes in developing data on products used in crops.

Roundup was developed by Monsanto in 1974, and in 1996 the agricultural company commercialized a strain of soybeans that would thrive when the chemical was used to kill weeds. Monsanto claims that the herbicide used on those crops "has allowed farmers to conserve fuel and decrease the overall amount of agricultural herbicides used." 

In recent weeks, Monsanto has come under fire from consumer, environmental and Tea Party groups for a provision of the continuing budget resolution signed in late March.

Dubbed the "Monsanto Protection Act," the provision allows farmers to continue using genetically engineered crops, including those formulated to withstand Roundup's chemicals, regardless of court battles surrounding the crops. Advocates claim the measure assures regulatory consistency and prevents activists from legislating through the court system, but opponents fear it allows some agricultural companies to operate above the law.

In a statement after the bill passed the House, Center for Food Safety, a nonprofit advocacy organization, said the measure "undermines the federal courts' ability to safeguard farmers and the environment from potentially hazardous genetically engineered" produce.