Roundup is an herbicide that contains glyphosate, a controversial ingredient that many say causes non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The popular weed killer is manufactured by agrochemical giant Monsanto, now a unit of Bayer AG. Roundup is used for both commercial agricultural practices and in home gardens as well.
Hundreds of Roundup Lawsuits Filed
The allegations that Roundup causes cancer have been contested by Monsanto lawyers for years. On July 10, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria of San Francisco ruled that cancer victims and their Roundup lawyers are allowed to present expert testimony against the company. Chhabria alone will be presiding over more than 400 Roundup lawsuits against the company.
Though the judge indicated it will be a “daunting challenge”, this is a major first step for cancer victims and their families patiently awaiting a trial. Monsanto’s lawyers for Roundup have made many efforts to debase the claims, citing that hundreds of studies have proven the chemical is safe for humans.
Hundreds of lawsuits from various farmers, landscapers and consumers say that Monsanto was aware of the cancer risk but failed to warn the public of such danger. For a week in March, Judge Chhabria listened to a battle of testimonies from expert epidemiologists.
Beate Ritz is an epidemiologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who was brought in to testify for plaintiffs. She concluded that glyphosate and glyphosate-based compounds can, in fact, cause non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
On the other hand, Monsanto brought in Lorelei Mucci, a cancer epidemiologist for the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She praised a 2017 National Institutes of Health study that Ritz had previously said had flaws.
“When you look at the body of epidemiological literature on this topic,” she said, “there’s no evidence of a positive association between glyphosate and NHL risk.”
Monsanto Vice President Scott Partridge said in a statement, “Moving forward, we will continue to defend these lawsuits with robust evidence that proves there is absolutely no connection between glyphosate and cancer.”
“We have sympathy for anyone suffering from cancer,” Partridge said. “But the science clearly shows that glyphosate was not the cause.”
Now sold in over 160 countries, Monsanto first developed Roundup in the 1970s which skyrocketed in popularity. In 2015 alone, the company brought in $4.8 billion in sales of Roundup.
In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a part of the World Health Organization, classified the herbicide as a “probable human carcinogen”.
This prompted California to add glyphosate to its list of chemicals known to cause cancer. However, a federal judge in Sacramento blocked California from requiring Roundup to carry such labeling. They cited there has been no evidence linking the chemical to cancer.
Elsewhere in California, a school groundskeeper, Dwayne Johnson, was granted an expedited jury trial against Monsanto as he battles terminal cancer.
Johnson used the herbicide 20 to 30 times per year when applying it on school properties. He attributes Roundup to have caused his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. At only 46 years old, Johnson is covered in lesions on 80 percent of his body and not expected to live much longer.
Questions About a Roundup Herbicide Lawsuit?
If you or a loved one has been exposed to Roundup and subsequently been diagnosed with Lymphoma or other cancer, you may want to speak with the lawyers at Johnson//Becker. We are currently accepting new Roundup herbicide lawsuits across the country, and you may be entitled to financial compensation.
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