The agriculture giant Monsanto has recently filed a lawsuit against a California regulatory agency after it listed glyphosate cancer risk as a substantial concern.

The group targeted in this new lawsuit is the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), which this year listed glyphosate as a carcinogen, or a substance known to cause cancer.

The public perception of glyphosate cancer risk is of significant interest to Monsanto, as glyphosate is the key ingredient in one of Monsanto’s major products, Roundup weed killer.

Monsanto filed the lawsuit alongside several agricultural industry groups, who collectively claim that there is “overwhelming scientific consensus” from other regulators of such chemicals that glyphosate is unlikely to cause cancer.

The lawsuit alleges that glyphosate cancer risk is not actually significant. “California’s listing of glyphosate is an attack on science and the future of farming itself,” said Scott Partridge, the Vice President of Global Strategy for Monsanto, in a statement to Law360. “By ignoring its own scientific assessments and the overwhelming scientific proof that glyphosate is safe, California will needlessly burden both the agricultural industry and consumers with increased compliance costs and higher food prices.”

According to the lawsuit, the OEHHA had not previously listed the glyphosate cancer risk, but decided to add it after the International Agency for Research on Cancer published its 2015 findings that glyphosate is a probable carcinogen.

This is not the first time Monsanto has attempted to reverse the OEHHA’s listing over glyphosate cancer risk. When the company previously sued over the issue, back in March, a California state judge tossed the suit.

Background of Roundup

Roundup, with its active ingredient glyphosate, is a popular weedkiller product. Monsanto released Roundup back in 1974. Since then, it has steadily risen in popularity.

By 2001, it had already become the most common weedkiller in the American agriculture industry. The United States was going through roughly 185 million pounds of glyphosate per year by 2007. In the ten years since, that number has continued to grow.

Many consumers have chosen to file lawsuits against Monsanto, alleging that the company has misrepresented Roundup as safe, despite knowing of the link between Roundup and a number of cancers. Monsanto has actually used the taglines “safer than table salt” and “practically non-toxic” to animals to describe its product, when the actual risk is much greater, lawsuits claim.

Glyphosate Cancer Risk

A growing number of Roundup users are filing lawsuits against Monsanto with allegations of cancer from Roundup.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began to suspect a connection between Roundup usage and cancer back in the 1980s. Unfortunately, Monsanto’s popular weedkiller Roundup has been linked with a number of kinds of cancer. Types of cancer that have so far been linked with Roundup use may include the following:

• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Leukemia
• Multiple Myeloma
• B-cell Lymphoma
• Bone Cancer
• Renal Cell Carcinoma (kidney cancer)

Filing a Lawsuit Over Roundup Cancer

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with cancer after longtime use of Roundup, you may be able to file a lawsuit over glyphosate cancer risk. While filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by cancer or bring a loved one back to life, it can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses and lost wages.

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.

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