If you’ve done anything between your own gardening at home or maintaining commercial farm land, at some point you’ve likely had to use a weed-killer or herbicide. Roundup, which has been made, sold, and marketed in the United States for decades, has historically been one of the most commercially successful weed-killing products in the America and around the world. The key chemical ingredient which contributed to Roundup’s success is glyphosate. Glyphosate is incredibly effective in exterminating unwanted vegetation, which lead Roundup to become a regular purchase for home gardeners, landscapers, property managers, and farmers alike.
So What’s the Problem With a Weed Killer That Works?
The problem is that glyphosate and Roundup are harmful to more than just weeds. Multiple independent organizations have conducted studies on glyphosate because it is known to be pose toxic and carcinogenic risks. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded glyphosate is a probable carcinogen, and glyphosate has had further scrutiny from the World Health Organization, the European Food Safety Authority, and the FDA among others.
Monsanto, which originally made Roundup and has since been acquired by the German industrial giant Bayer, knew that their product could cause cancer in humans potentially as early as 1981. Rather than investigate the link between Roundup and cancer, the makers of Roundup turned a blind eye to the potentially devastating effects their product could cause for people exposed to the chemical, instead choosing not to interfere with one of their most lucrative sources of sales income.
As a result, countless individuals and their families were needlessly endangered by exposure to carcinogenic chemical with no ideas of the danger. Despite knowing the risks decades earlier, the 2013 published study linking glyphosate to cancer, the 2015 WHO addition of glyphosate to the list of probable human carcinogens, additional concerning studies, and growing litigation against the makers of Roundup, Roundup continued to be made, marketed, and sold with glyphosate and without any warnings.
Juries who heard the corporations’ indifference to public health and safety during Roundup trials were outraged. The first jury to consider the evidence against Roundup in trial reached a verdict of $289 million in favor of the injured Plaintiff. The second jury to hear a Roundup trial came back with a $2 billion verdict.
Have They Learned Their Lesson?
Even then, Monsanto/Bayer continued to sell and profit from Roundup, which still has no warning of cancer. In fact, searching for “cancer” as a keyword on www.roundup.com yields 0 results. In 2022, seven years after the first Roundup lawsuit was filed, these companies publish FAQ’s on the Roundup website like this:
“When is it safe for my children to play out again after using Roundup products?
Yes, you can. Just keep them out of the area while you are using Roundup and then, once the spray is dry, you can let them re-enter. Roundup itself poses no risk to human health, when used in accordance with the label. However, you don’t want your children or pets to walk through a treated area and then onto your lawn, as the lawn will be damaged. Roundup is very effective on grass!“
Bayer, which acquired Monsanto and Roundup in 2016 for $66 billion, issued a 5-point plan to its investors on how they plan to “provide a clear path to closure of the U.S. glyphosate litigation” and “put the uncertainty behind us.” They’ve had to settle over 100,000 cases for people and their families whose lives have been harmed by this careless disregard for human health and safety.
Bayer has been forced to set aside billions of dollars to paying settlements to the people they’ve hurt. Yet Bayer “fully stand[s] behind the safety of [their] glyphosate products,” and won’t even remove glyphosate from Roundup until 2023.
What Can You Do?
If you or a loved one suspect that your cancer may have been caused by exposure to Roundup, you may be entitled to recover for the harms and losses you’ve suffered. You should seek legal counsel as soon as possible to ensure that your potential claims are not waived because of the statute of limitations – a legal deadline by which you must bring any claims you may have. Reach out to us to schedule a free legal consultation and discuss your rights and options.