Reuters reported last month that the cancer research arm of the World Health Organization (WHO), known as the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), was set to make that declaration on July 14, according to two sources with knowledge of the process. The designation as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" will provide an incentive to fund more rigorous research into the safety question, toxicology and cancer experts say. "We have been pushing for an IARC review for many years now." But no action was taken until 2022, after aspartame was again nominated for review by CSPI and Melnick in 2019. The research body has said "new evidence" prompted its aspartame review, without giving any details.

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Persons: Andy Smith, Smith, Coke, Peter Lurie, Lurie, James Huff, Ron Melnick, CSPI, There's, Samuel Cohen, Erik Millstone, Millstone, Jennifer Rigby, Michele Gershberg, Catherine Evans Organizations: Reuters, World Health Organization, WHO, International Agency for Research, Cancer, MRC, Unit, University of Cambridge, Cola's, Regulators, for Science, Joint Food and Agriculture Organization, U.S . National Institutes of Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, University of Paris, Britain's University of Sussex, Thomson Locations: United States, U.S, France