A woman has filed a Roundup side effects lawsuit, alleging Monsanto knew the popular weed killer caused cancer, but failed to disclose the risks.

Plaintiff Sharon B. alleges she used Roundup from 1990 to 2007. In 1998, she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma as “a direct and proximate result of being exposed to Roundup,” according to the Roundup side effects lawsuit.

Roundup’s active ingredient is glyphosate, which is a broad-spectrum herbicide that indiscriminately kills weeds and grasses. Monsanto formulated Roundup in the 1970s. Because the herbicide kills every plant, Monsanto created genetically modified (GMO) crops that are marketed as resistant to Roundup.

As a result, GMO crops can survive being sprayed with Roundup while the weeds around the crops die. At the same time, these GMO crops absorb Roundup, but do not succumb to its poisonous properties.

By 2009, Monsanto was the leading producer of these “Roundup Ready” seeds. By 2010 in the United States, nearly 70 percent of corn and cotton and 90 percent of soybean fields consisted of GMO crops.

Roundup Side Effects Withheld for Decades

“For nearly 40 years, consumers, farmers, and the public have used Roundup, unaware of its carcinogenic properties,” declares the Roundup side effects lawsuit.

In 1996, the New York attorney general was one of the first to accuse Monsanto of false advertising, filing a lawsuit that challenged Monsanto’s claims that Roundup was “safer than table salt” and “practically non-toxic” to any living thing except for plants.

The New York attorney general took issue with Monsanto’s claim that Roundup side effects were virtually non-existent. Monsanto said Roundup would not build up in the soil, that it would biodegrade “into natural material,” and that “it has over a 1,000-fold safety margin in food and over a 700-fold safety margin for workers who manufacture it or use it.”

In November 1996, Monsanto agreed to enter into an Assurance of Discontinuance to stop making many of these claims in advertisements in New York. The attorney general successfully stopped Monsanto from claiming Roundup was “good” for the environment and from claiming it was “practically non-toxic,” among other statements the attorney general felt were false or misleading. Monsanto changed its advertising tactics in New York, but not in any other state.

The attorney general was not the first government entity to question Roundup side effects. In March 1985, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxicology Branch classified glyphosate as a Category C oncogene, meaning it was considered a possible human cancer-causing agent with some evidence of cancer-inducing tendencies.

Not only is glyphosate dangerous, plaintiffs claims, but the mixture of chemicals within Roundup products potentially create a more toxic soup than any single ingredient on its own. According to the Roundup side effects lawsuit, “As early as 1991, evidence existed demonstrating that glyphosate formulations were significantly more toxic than glyphosate alone.”

The Roundup Side Effects Lawsuit is Case No. 0:18-cv-60255-KMW in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Fort Lauderdale Division.

If you or a loved one developed cancer after using Roundup as a farm worker or home gardener, you may have a legal claim. Legal migrant farm workers may also seek help. Learn more by filling out the form on this page for a FREE case evaluation.

Learn More