Monsanto Faced With Lawsuits Over Alleged Connection Between Roundup and Cancer
Roundup is a product known as an herbicide, which is used to destroy weeds and other undesirable vegetation in consumer gardens, industrial farms and other harvestable lands. The product, manufactured by Monsanto, has been on the market since 1974, and is one of the most commonly used of its kind throughout the United States.
Glyphosate is a prominently used herbicide in the United States, and the active ingredient in Roundup. When applied to plants, it works to control growth and eliminate grasses, weeds and other forms of undesirable shrubbery. Human exposure to glyphosate occurs when the pesticide comes in contact with an individual’s skin and eyes, and when it is ingested or inhaled. Ingestion of glyphosate can occur when drinking water that has been contaminated, or by eating food previously sprayed with the herbicide.
Recent lawsuits filed in California, and widespread claims by patients and their attorneys, state that the exposure to Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate, caused individuals to suffer from severe health issues, specifically non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The lawsuits also suggest that Monsanto was aware of the link between its product and the development of cancer for decades, but failed to warn consumers and regulating agencies, and even continued to market the product as safe.
Roundup Lawsuits
Plaintiffs in California have filed a lawsuit against Monsanto alleging that the exposure to glyphosate, through the use of Roundup, contributed to the development of serious illnesses like non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other forms of cancer.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs suggest that Monsanto has known of the connection between the use of Roundup and various forms of cancer for years, and that the company not only failed to warn consumers, but used fabricated data in attempt to discredit reports suggesting the risk and produce additional reports suggesting the product’s safety.
These claims were supported in March 2017, when a federal judge unsealed documents that exposed Monsanto’s communications regarding the product. These documents, consisting of internal and external emails, revealed that the manufacturer had developed fake research and data to be published by credible academics, in attempt to falsely legitimize the safety of glyphosate. The documents also indicated that the company had been in contact with a senior official at the Environmental Protection Agency, who was working to suppress a future review of the herbicide by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Though Monsanto maintains that, “the allegation that glyphosate can cause cancer in humans is inconsistent with decades of comprehensive safety reviews by the leading regulatory authorities around the world,” documentation suggests that the company engaged in practices intended to deceive consumers and regulating agencies of its product’s safety.
Learn more about the lawsuits and the effects of glyphosate exposure here.
Have You Suffered from Serious Health Issues after Exposure to Roundup?
If you or a loved one has worked in an industry wherein you experienced routine exposure to the herbicide glyphosate, or developed a serious health condition including non-Hodgkin lymphoma after routine consumer use of Roundup, contact The Law Offices of Peter Angelos for a no-charge consultation.