A link between Roundup and lymphoma is alleged in a new lawsuit against Monsanto Company, Inc.

Plaintiffs Michael and Leslie A. allege Michael developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma as a result of working with Roundup from 2000 through 2017. He used the herbicide at his ranch in Colorado for the initial ten years and at his home in Arizona for the latter seven years.

Monsanto discovered the herbicidal properties of glyphosate, the active ingredient in in Roundup, which also contains the surfactant POEA and other ingredients that are purportedly inert.

Plants treated with Roundup usually die in two or three days. Because plants absorb the herbicide, the glyphosate cannot be removed by washing or peeling produce or by milling, baking, or brewing affected grains.

According to the Roundup and lymphoma lawsuit, “For nearly 40 years, farms across the world have used Roundup without knowing of the dangers its uses poses.”

Since Roundup was first introduced, Monsanto has insisted that the mixture could kill nearly every weed without harming people or the environment.

At the same time, the World Health Organization says glyphosate is a probable cause of cancer.

In addition, the other chemicals in Roundup formulations are protected as “trade secrets” in manufacturing because they are considered inert. Increasing evidence allegedly indicates these additional compounds in Roundup are not inert, but are instead toxic.

Roundup and Lymphoma: EPA Sites Fraud in Monsanto Tests

According to the Roundup and lymphoma lawsuit, “[o]n two occasions, the EPA found that the laboratories hired by Monsanto to test the toxicity of its Roundup products for registration purposes committed fraud.”

Monsanto hired Industrial Bio-Test (IBT) laboratories to conduct and evaluate Roundup for its initial registration with the EPA. The FDA inspected IBT in 1976 and found discrepancies between the raw data and the final report on glyphosate’s toxicology evaluations. The EPA “found the toxicology studies conducted for the Roundup herbicide to be invalid.”

The Roundup and lymphoma lawsuit says, “An EPA reviewer stated, after finding ‘routine falsification of data’ at IBT, that it was ‘hard to believe the scientific integrity of the studies when they said they took specimens of the uterus from male rabbits.’”

In 1983, three top IBT executives were convicted of fraud.

In 1991, Monsanto hired Craven Laboratories to conduct pesticide and herbicide studies on products, including Roundup. Later that year, Craven’s owner and three employees were indicted and eventually convicted of fraud in their testing of pesticides and herbicides.

“Despite the falsity of the tests that underlie its registration, within a few years of its launch, Monsanto was marketing Roundup in 115 countries,” laments the Roundup and lymphoma complaint.

Monsanto helps develop and market genetically modified (GMO) crops that are often advertised as being resistant to Roundup and are even nicknamed “Roundup Ready” crops. In 2010, nearly 70 percent of corn and cotton and 90 percent of soybean fields in the U.S. contained Roundup Ready seeds.

The Roundup and Lymphoma Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-02181-JZB in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.

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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