Canadian attorneys recent launched a $500 million class action lawsuit against Monsanto and Bayer alleging that Roundup can cause cancer.

The recent Canada Roundup glyphosate cancer class action lawsuit includes more than 60 Canadian plaintiffs but the law firm who filed the complaint reportedly believes that thousands of consumers could have been affected.

The Roundup class action lawsuit was filed by lawyers in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia, and is seeking $500 million in compensation for affected Canadians.

One of the plaintiffs in the Roundup class action, 55-year-old Tony Hunter, reportedly sprayed Roundup regularly when he grew up on a 1,000 acre farm. He claims to have used the product with his father starting at age 16 and continued to use Roundup until he was 18.

When he was 24, Hunter was allegedly diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma (a type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma). Hunter and his wife reportedly had to drive two hours to receive treatment. He eventually went into remission for several years before the cancer came back in 2005. He says he battled cancer for years before going back into remission.

“Growing up I believed Roundup was a safe product because there were no warnings that indicated otherwise,” Hunter said in a news conference. “I hope that justice will be achieved for those who also held the same belief that Roundup was a safe product and who were diagnosed with cancer like I was.”

Roundup manufacturer Monsanto and parent company Bayer have faced thousands of Roundup lawsuits in the United States from consumers who claim that they developed cancer after spraying the weed killer. The recently filed Roundup class action lawsuits in Canada come after several plaintiffs have secured favorable verdicts in American Roundup trials.

Bayer and regulators such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintain that Roundup’s active ingredient glyphosate does not cause cancer. Health Canada re-evaluated the safety of glyphosate in 2017 and reportedly determined that glyphosate is unlikely to cause cancer. Based on these determinations and their own research, Bayer reportedly plans to vigorously defend itself against Roundup class action lawsuit claims.

“Glyphosate has been extensively studied globally by scientists and regulators, and results from this research confirm it is not carcinogenic,” Bayer said in a statement to CBC News.

“We firmly stand behind the safety of glyphosate-based products and as a company devoted to life sciences, assure Canadians that their health and the environment are our top priority.”

Despite repeated assurances from Bayer, other authorities disagree. The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified glyphosate as a probably human carcinogen based on lab studies.

Consumers and their lawyers argue that glyphosate has caused numerous Roundup users to develop various forms of cancer such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, other types of lymphoma, stomach cancer, brain cancer, leukemia, and renal cell carcinoma. This real life evidence allegedly lends credence to glyphosate’s carcinogenic nature.

The Roundup class action lawsuits claim that Bayer and Monsanto were negligent by selling the weed killing product despite evidence that glyphosate causes cancer. The plaintiffs also argue that the companies failed to warn consumers about the risks of their products.

Another Canadian Roundup lawsuit was filed by a British Columbia man earlier this year.