Gardeners, farmers and others who have used Monsanto Roundup to kill weeds should be aware of a lawsuit that is claiming that Monsanto, manufacturer of insecticides and herbicides, failed to warn users of Roundup of the increased chance they will develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma or other forms of cancer.
Glyphosate has been used since the 1970s. The commercial use of glyphosate has increased significantly since the introduction of crops that have been genetically modified to make them resistant to glyphosate. That allows farmers to spray Roundup on their fields to kill weeds without harming their crops. The sodium salt form of glyphosate is used to ripen fruit. Farm workers as well as people living near commercial farms may be exposed to Roundup and other glyphosate products.
The Roundup lawsuit asserts that Monsanto has known for more than 30 years that the use of Roundup can cause cancers. However, the company decided not to inform the public and continued to claim that the product was safe and non-toxic to humans, pets, and other animals.
Records used to prosecute the Monsanto class action lawsuit shows that the company created fake data and attacked legitimate studies that warned of the dangers of the product. The Roundup lawsuit also claims that the company promoted a campaign with the purpose of misleading government agencies, farmers, and individuals who use the product that it was safe.
In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a division of the World Health Organization, assessed the cancer risk of five pesticides and herbicides used in industrial farming. They labeled glyphosate (Roundup) as a probable carcinogen, meaning the chemical probably causes cancer in humans. The IARC report said glyphosate caused cancer in laboratory tests involving animals and said there was some evidence the chemical caused genetic damage in human cells.
The National Pesticide Information Center states that some studies have associated use of glyphosate with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
A group of independent scientists has urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban Roundup in the United States. Earlier this year, the EPA withdrew a report concluding that Roundup was “not likely” to cause cancer in humans. EPA said it is still conducting an ongoing review of glyphosate and the assessment is not yet complete.
A number of people diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (also known as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma) have filed Roundup cancer lawsuits alleging that the Monsanto has known that glyphosate was hazardous to humans, but failed to warn adequately of the risk. Monsanto continues to claim that Roundup is safe and to dispute studies linking the product to cancer.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of cancer that develops in the body’s immune system. It generally involves cancerous tumors in the lymph nodes. According to the Mayo Clinic, certain chemicals intended to kill insects and weeds may increase your risk of developing Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Our attorneys at the Plymale Law Firm are committed to holding accountable companies who harm North Carolina agricultural workers and farm families by failing to warn adequately of known hazards. If you work on a farm or lived near a commercial farm and have been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, you do not have to carry this burden by yourself.