A man has filed a lawsuit against Monsanto alleging glyphosate exposure led to his development of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Plaintiff Alfred C. says he sprayed Monsanto’s Roundup on a regular basis for years in order to control weeds. He blames his diagnosis of non-Hodgkins lymphoma on glyphosate exposure from those years of using the product.

Monsanto discovered the herbicidal uses of glyphosate during the 1970s and eventually created a formulation known as Roundup, a broad-spectrum herbicide. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup that kills weeds and grasses that compete with commercial crops around the world.

For decades, Monsanto has insisted that Roundup was “safer than table salt” and “practically non-toxic” to mammals, birds and fish. Alfred’s lawsuit counters that, alleging that “[a]s early as the 1980s, Monsanto was aware of glyphosate’s carcinogenic properties.”

In March 1985, the Toxicology Branch of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified glyphosate as a Category C oncogene, which meant it was a possible human carcinogen with limited evidence of carcinogenity.

Glyphosate Exposure Allegedly Dangerous

According to the glyphosate exposure lawsuit, many studies have indicated the mixture that is Roundup is more toxic than glyphosate alone. Such research results allegedly were demonstrated as early as 1991.

Researcher Julie Marc found in 2002 that Roundup caused delays in the cell cycles of sea urchins. The same concentration of glyphosate alone did not change the cell cycles. She noted that the dysregulation of cell cycles is an indicator of tumor cells and of human cancer.

Researcher Francisco Peixoto followed in 2005 with a study that indicated Roundup’s effects on a rat’s mitochondria were more toxic and dangerous than the same concentration of glyphosate alone. He also suggested the surfactant POEA in combination with glyphosate could make a more dangerous mixture, or it could be glyphosate and its interactions among many different formulation ingredients.

When the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) looked into glyphosate exposure in 2015, the advisory group determined that glyphosate is a Class 2A “probable carcinogen” based on the “mechanistic evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in animals.”

Glyphosate exposure was linked to an increased risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and several subtypes of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, according to the IARC Working Group that conducted the studies.

The IARC is the specialized intergovernmental cancer agency of the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to the glyphosate exposure lawsuit, one study linked Roundup to DNA damage in 1997. Chris Clements published a study that looked at tadpoles that allegedly showed significant DNA damage compared to control tadpoles that were not exposed to Roundup.

The IARC says glyphosate exposure allegedly has been linked to oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, both of which are believed to be factors in the onset of cancer.

The Glyphosate Exposure Lawsuit is Case No. 4:18-cv-01093 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.

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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