A Canadian man has filed a Roundup lawsuit against Bayer and Monsanto, the makers of the popular herbicide after being diagnosed with cancer in 2018.

The Canadian Roundup glyphosate cancer lawsuit was filed by Cliff S., and joins many similar lawsuits aiming to hold the life-science giants accountable for allegedly exposing many people to a carcinogen.

Cliff is a 57-year old resident of Cranbrook, British Columbia. According to Cliff, he developed non-Hodgkins lymphoma after using Roundup for 31 years.

The Roundup lawsuit notes that Cliff worked as a bakery owner for 21 years, and earned additional income by building and finishing homes. Allegedly, the majority of his Roundup exposure occurred as a result of his side job.

He says that over the course of 15 years, he flipped three houses. Allegedly, he lived in them and then sold them. He says that he used Roundup regularly when landscaping the homes. He says that for this, he mixed and sprayed Roundup multiple times a year.

The British Columbia Roundup lawsuit alleges that Cliff was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in June 2018 after he experienced headaches, pain, and double vision beginning in the same year. His cancer is now believed to be eliminated, after 10 rounds of radiation treatment.

Cliff’s Roundup lawsuit says that Monsanto, the original makers of Roundup, and Bayer, the company that acquired Monsanto in 2018, violated British Columbia’s Sale of Goods Act. Allegedly, they violated the law by selling Roundup because it is an unsafe product.

Cliff seeks damages for himself, claiming that he was physically, emotionally, mentally, and financially injured by the companies’ conduct. He says that his financial injury came in the form of past and future loss to his wages, as well as the future cost of his medical care.

The plaintiff says that he hopes that his Roundup lawsuit will increase public awareness of the possible dangers associated with Roundup and glyphosate, reports CBC. 

Bayer continues to maintain that Roundup is safe. Bayer says that products made with glyphosate, the main Roundup weed-killing ingredient that is alleged to cause cancer, is not dangerous. Bayer stated that the company will “vigorously defend” its products, and assures “Canadians that their health and the environment are [the company’s] top priority.”

Another Canadian Roundup lawsuit was filed against Monsanto and Bayer by 60 plaintiffs.

CBC notes that the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer determined glyphosate to be “probably carcinogenic to humans” in 2015.

Though many other lawsuits have been filed against Bayer and Monsanto, CBC notes that Cliff’s is the first non-class action lawsuit to be filed over the issue in British Columbia. Bayer also faces Roundup lawsuits in Quebec, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

In the United States, many similar lawsuits have been filed. One American lawsuit ended in an $86 million verdict against Bayer, requiring the company to pay the sum to a couple who said they developed cancer because of Roundup exposure.

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