A Roundup weed killer cancer lawsuit claims that the popular pesticide isn’t harmless as advertised, due to both its active and “inert” ingredients.

Plaintiffs Steve and Debra B. claim that Roundup weed killer products, made by Monsanto for use both in residential and farming areas, can cause cancer. Steve and Debra claim that Monsanto knowingly concealed information about the carcinogenic nature of glyphosate, the weed killer’s active ingredient, and in those ingredients labeled as “inert.”

Steve claims that he developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2015 as a “direct and proximate” result of his earlier exposure to Roundup. He aims to hold Monsanto Company, and its parent company, Bayer Corporation, accountable for his injuries, and his wife, Debra, aims to hold the companies liable for her loss of consortium she suffered as a result of Steve’s injury.

The Roundup weed killer cancer lawsuit claims that a range of Roundup products are carcinogenic, including those made for residential use and those made for use in farms, as they all contain glyphosate and comparable inert ingredients.

Steve and Debra state that glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide, means it kills plants indiscriminately if the plants produce a specific enzyme, commonly known as EPSP synthase. They go on to state that glyphosate inhibits this enzyme, which results in the accumulation of shikimic acid and ultimately, in the plant’s death. When the chemical is sprayed onto a plant, it absorbs into the plant’s leaves, stems, and roots.

Steve and Debra go on to note in their lawsuit that the Environmental Protection Agency requires companies that produce pesticides to conduct testing on the pesticides to determine if they will have “unreasonable adverse effects on the environment,” and that these tests are reviewed to determine if the product will receive approval to be released into the market.

The Roundup weed killer cancer lawsuit states that the EPA is in the process of re-reviewing pesticides. The lawsuit goes on to note that the EPA specifically stalled releasing its re-review of glyphosate, scheduled for July 2015, because the World Health Organization found that glyphosate is a “probable carcinogen,” and published this information in March 2015.

Steve and Debra claim that Monsanto continued to produce and sell Roundup, with the active ingredient glyphosate despite the fact that the World Health Organization announced that the product’s active ingredient likely caused cancer. They claim that the company knowingly endangered human health and concealed information about the dangers of its product in the interest of maximizing product.

The Roundup weed killer cancer lawsuit alleges that Monsanto knew or should have known of the dangers of glyphosate at least since March 2015 when the World Health Organization made its announcement of the chemical’s dangers, but possibly much earlier. They cite the fact that in 1996, the New York Attorney General filed a lawsuit against Monsanto claiming that the company misrepresented the product as “safer than table salt,” biodegradable and nontoxic, though it was really dangerous to human health and to the environment.

Steve and Debra claim in the Roundup weed killer cancer lawsuit that Monsanto continues to falsely actively advertise the range of Roundup products as safe, nontoxic, and biodegradable.

The Roundup Weed Killer Cancer Lawsuit is Case No. 4:18-cv-01066-JMB, 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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