A woman who says she developed glyphosate cancer after years of using Roundup weed killer has filed a lawsuit against the Monsanto Company.

Plaintiff Marilyn U. and her husband James accuse Monsanto of negligence and wrongful conduct regarding its most popular herbicide. Marilyn alleges she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2016, allegedly as a result of her exposure to Roundup, which contains the active ingredient glyphosate and a surfactant called polyethoxylated tallow amine (POEA). The couple alleges Roundup is responsible for this glyphosate cancer.

Roundup is a brand name that refers to multiple glyphosate-based herbicides made by Monsanto. Roundup is used by individuals, farmers, cities, companies and other entities to kill weeds and grasses around the world.

Because Roundup kills plants indiscriminately, the popularity of the weed killer gave rise to genetically modified crops (GMOs) that are specifically created to resist the poisonous activity of glyphosate. Monsanto also is the number one producer of GMO “Roundup Ready” seeds.

Glyphosate Cancer Risks Allegedly Hidden for 40 Years

“For nearly 40 years, consumers, farmers, and the public have used Roundup, unaware of its carcinogenic properties,” alleges the glyphosate cancer lawsuit.

In 1996, the New York Attorney General sued Monsanto for what he alleged was false and misleading advertising of Roundup herbicides. Monsanto had claimed Roundup was “safer than table salt” and “practically non-toxic” to wildlife. Monsanto took issue with those claims, among others.

In November 1996, Monsanto signed an Assurance of Discontinuance with the New York Attorney General. The Roundup producer agreed to stop publishing advertising in New York that implied glyphosate was safe, non-toxic, or free from risk.

In 2009, France ruled that Monsanto had lied about the Roundup’s safety record. France’s highest court said Monsanto’s claims that Roundup was “biodegradable” and that the herbicide “left the soil clean” were falsehoods.

Monsanto itself allegedly knew of glyphosate cancer risks as early as the 1980s. In 1985, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxicology Branch classified glyphosate as a Category C oncogene, which means they found “limited evidence of carcinogenicity.”

In 2015, the World Health Organization determined that glyphosate is a “probable carcinogen” in both humans and animals.

Many studies also support the idea that glyphosate mixed with Roundup’s other ingredients create a more toxic soup than glyphosate on its own.

The glyphosate cancer lawsuit points to a 2002 study by Julie Marc that showed Roundup interfered with cell cycles in sea urchins. The identical dose of glyphosate by itself did not alter cell cycles. In 2005, Francisco Peixoto’s study of Roundup determined glyphosate alone was less toxic and harmful to rat livers than Roundup’s formulation was.

“Both human and animal studies have shown that glyphosate and glyphosate-based formulations such as Roundup can induce oxidative stress,” claims the glyphosate cancer lawsuit.

The Glyphosate Cancer lawsuit is Case No. 4:18-cv-00323-NAB in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Eastern 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.

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