First Roundup Cancer Trial Against Monsanto Set to Begin This Week

First Roundup Cancer Trial Against Monsanto Set to Begin This Week

Trial is under way for a 46-year-old Californian father of two, Dewayne Johnson, who is dying of cancer and suing U.S. agrochemical giant Monsanto, in the first lawsuit of its kind claiming Monsanto’s popular herbicide 'Roundup' causes cancer. Mr. Johnson alleges he developed non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, from his contact with and exposure to Roundup, which he used for two years from 2012 as a groundskeeper for the Benicia school district near San Francisco. Mr. Johnson alleges that Monsanto hid the product’s dangers from him and the public-at-large. His case could have sweeping ramifications for Monsanto and the hundreds of other people throughout the country making similar claims. If Mr. Johnson is successful in his suit, Monsanto could face massive losses should it have to pay out damages over its Roundup products, whose main ingredient is glyphosate, a substance which some say is dangerously carcinogenic. Thousands of lawsuits targeting Monsanto are currently proceeding through the US court system. Mr. Johnson’s case was expedited because he currently has only a few months to live.

The carcinogenic nature of Roundup has been the source of seemingly endless debate among government regulators, health experts and lawyers. The International Agency for Research on Cancer—a World Health Organization body—has classified glyphosate, widely used throughout the world, as "probably carcinogenic." The European food safety and chemicals agencies have so far not followed suit. A US Department of Health study has suggested its toxicity is limited.

Monsanto, of course, remains steadfast in its denial of any link between disease and glyphosate, claiming that "[m]ore than 800 scientific studies, the US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the National Institutes of Health and regulators around the world have concluded that glyphosate is safe for use and does not cause cancer.” However, Monsanto was also caught ghostwriting scientific studies to show that Roundup does not cause cancer.

So now the issue heads to the American public. Mr. Johnson’s case is one to keep an eye on and could have significant ramifications on the Monsanto and the pesticide industry as a whole. If you or a loved one have developed cancer you believe may be caused by exposure to Roundup, you should contact an experienced attorney right away to discuss your options.