In the first Roundup cancer lawsuit to go to trial, a cancer expert recently came to the defense of IARC findings regarding the glyphosate cancer risk.

Medical oncologist and expert witness Alfred Neuget recently spoke in support of the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Neuget, who is a cancer epidemiologist and professor at Columbia University, lent his support to the agency and its 2015 finding that there is a glyphosate cancer risk. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer.

“Within the scientific and academic cancer community, IARC is recognized as the main arbiter of what constitutes a carcinogen or a cancer-causing agent,” Neuget stated, according to a recent Law360 article. “I would have trouble naming a second choice.”

During Neuget’s testimony, counsel for Monsanto sought to question the validity of IARC’s classification, noting in cross examination that the organization will classify agents as cancer risks “even when the risks are very low”. Defendant counsel argued that IARC’s classifications “represent only one part of the body of information on which public health decisions may be based”, according to Law360.

Neuget agreed with this evaluation of IARC, adding that “when IARC tells you something can cause cancer, what you do with that information is up to you”.

However, Neuget said he reviewed other scientific studies available regarding the glyphosate cancer risk, noting that studies he had reviewed all found a correlation. When directly asked by plaintiff counsel if glyphosate causes non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Neuget responded affirmatively.

Defendant counsel sought to discredit this analysis, arguing that the IARC classifies things such as hot beverages and working night shifts as potential cancer causes. In a review of 1,000 substances, the IARC allegedly found that all but one was a potential cause of cancer.

Neuget responded to this criticism, calling it “idiotic”. He pointed out that the review of 1,000 substances only examined substances with some pre-existing correlation to cancer. He also noted that half of the reviewed substances were found to not be carcinogenic due to a lack of definitive data.

Neuget’s testimony has been part of a back-and-forth trial calling into question the validity of IARC’s finding that glyphosate is a “probable carcinogen”. Probable carcinogens are agents which have been linked to the development of cancer but are not 100% proven to be carcinogens like asbestos.

Monsanto faces numerous lawsuits regarding their Roundup and Ranger Pro products, which contain glyphosate as the active ingredient. Although numerous lawsuits have been filed over the glyphosate cancer risk, the trial in California is the first ever jury trial for the issue.

This trial regards a lawsuit filed by Californian plaintiff Dewayne J., a retired groundskeeper who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma four years after spraying Roundup and Ranger Pro. Dewayne says he thought the products were safe due to Monsanto’s representation, but after an equipment malfunction soaked him in Ranger Pro, he developed lesions all over his skin. His counsel now says that he’s “on borrowed time”.

The Roundup Cancer Lawsuit is Case No. CGC16550128 in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of San Francisco.

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